The St Ursula Shrine
A golden reliquary with Memling's enchanting miniatures.
sailko — CC BY-SA 3.0 · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dietmar Rabich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dietmar Rabich — CC BY-SA 4.0
St John's Hospital (Sint-Janshospitaal) is among Europe's oldest surviving hospitals — founded in the twelfth century, it received the sick, pilgrims and the poor for eight centuries until 1978. Its huge medieval wards with wooden ceilings and stone arches are preserved as they were, and display the history of early medical care: patients' beds, surgical instruments, and the old pharmacy with its ceramic jars (seventeenth century) in its own wing. Its treasure is in its chapel: six masterpieces by Hans Memling, the great Flemish painter who lived in Bruges and made them for the hospital — most famous the "St Ursula Shrine", a golden reliquary painted with miniatures telling Ursula's legend in enchanting detail, and the great "St John Altarpiece". Among the world's finest Memling collections, in their original place. Opposite the Church of Our Lady — combine them in one corner, and the combined Musea Brugge ticket includes it.
A golden reliquary with Memling's enchanting miniatures.
Wooden ceilings and stone arches from eight centuries of care.
Seventeenth-century ceramic jars in its wing.
Mariastraat 38, 8000 Bruges
Church of Our LadyThe Church of Our Lady in Bruges has one of the tallest brick towers in the worl2 minutes walk4.7
St Salvator's CathedralSt Salvator's Cathedral is Bruges' oldest parish church — founded in the tenth c2 minutes walk4.7
De Halve Maan BreweryA family brewery in central Bruges working since 1856, and the last active brewe3 minutes walk4.5
Gruuthuse MuseumThe Gruuthuse Museum is the palace of Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, Bruges' richest no3 minutes walk4.7
Bonifacius BridgeThe Bonifacius Bridge is Bruges' smallest and most romantic bridge: a little sto3 minutes walk4.6Yes — the building itself, a medieval hospital with its huge wards and old pharmacy, is a historical experience of medical care before modern medicine that captivates everyone. And Memling is an easy entry to Flemish art: pictured stories with details read like a book. An hour suffices for the non-specialist.