The beguines began to form in various parts of Europe over eight hundred years ago. Beguines were laywomen; not nuns; and they did not live in monasteries. They practiced a remarkable way of living independently; and they were never a religious order or a formalized movement. But there were common elements that these medieval women shared across Europe; including their visionary spirituality; their unusual business acumen; and their courageous commitment to the poor and sick. Beguines were essentially self-defined; in opposition to the many attempts to control and define them. They lived by themselves or in communities called beguinages; which could be single homes for just a few women or; as in Brugge; Brussels; and Amsterdam; walled-in rows of houses where hundreds of beguines lived together—a village of women within a medieval town or city.Among the beguines were celebrated spiritual writers and mystics; including Mechthild of Magdeburg; Beatrijs of Nazareth; Hadewijch; and Marguerite Porete—who was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake in Paris in 1310. She was not the only beguine suspected of heresy; and often politics were the driving force behind such charges.The beguines; across the centuries; have left us a great legacy. They invite us to listen to their voices; to seek out their wisdom; to discover them anew.
#908241 in Books WISDOM 2017-05-09 2017-05-09Original language:English 9.00 x .60 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 161429187X176 pagesWISDOM
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