About the Beguines: The Model for the Sisterhood
Beguines lived and ministered primarily in the growing urban areas of Europe — the principal exception were Beguines who worked with lepers, since lepers were not permitted in cities. Beguines worked and prayed and socialized together but also maintained close contact with family, friends, and neighbors.
While some lived with their parents, many Beguines used their sources of income to purchase homes near the chapel or parish church where they gathered together for prayer. These homes became known as “convents” (which is the origin of the modern term), and they were shared by two to four — or, in larger homes, up to twelve — Beguines.
They usually purchased homes near each other, slowly taking over neighborhoods. Sometimes these grew into larger complexes that became known in the Low Countries as court bougienages, because of a large bougienage’s central courtyard that all Beguines living there shared. Such courtyards functioned much like medieval village greens . . . and outer walls and gates provided the Beguines with privacy and security. Other court bougienages began as significant complexes n the edge of a city or large town, where a spacious tract of land was provided, and the Beguines began construction.
