Between the walls of the former convent of the discalced carmelites in the heart of the Patershol, you will find Kunsthal Gent. The building’s history goes way back, to the 13th century. At that time, the monastery developed in the shadow of the Castle of the Counts. The carmelites settled there and, over the centuries, built and rebuilt a full-fledged monastery.
Late 12th century: a refuge for the monks
In the late 12th century, a refugium was built on the site where the Old House now stands, a stone refuge for the monks of Cambron Abbey in Hainaut. Today, the site of Cambron Abbey is home to the Pairi Daiza zoo. The term refugium still echoes in our operations, under the Refuge programme line, in which we give shelter to local artists and collectives who want to try out new ideas or are in need of space and support.
The district around the Castle of the Counts in the 12th century
The Old House on Lange Steenstraat
13th century: the first Carmelites
In 1272, the first carmelites arrived in Ghent. They got their name from Mount Carmel in Haifa, where the order was founded in 1200. Under pressure from the Saracens, they left the area and many migrated to Europe. They were the third beggar order to be allowed to settle in St Michael’s parish in Ghent. They were called ‘Ladybrothers’ because they worshipped Mary. Much later, the Vrouwebroersstraat along the side of the monastery will refer to this. In 1287, these carmelites bought the refugium and yard from Cambron Abbey on Lange Steenstraat. Not much later, the first stone of the new monastery buildings was laid. With the old refugium of Cambron as the first nucleus of the carmelite monastery.
14th century: the first phase of the monastery
Presumably between 1290 and 1329, the discalced carmelites began building a first version of the monastery, with the main nave of the hall church. The church and altars were consecrated on 11 September 1329. Excavations show that the oldest church was a rectangular brick building consisting of seven bays. Systematically over the next few decades, the territory of the carmelites expanded and in the 14th century the yard was demarcated by today’s Lange Steenstraat, Vrouwebroersstraat, Plotersgracht and Drongenhof.
De binnenmuren van het Karmelietenklooster
15th century: the first courtyard
The first pandhof was built in the third quarter of the 15th century, presumably because the first convent was no longer adequate and there was a need for a larger appearance. This first courtyard would later disappear and be replaced by a new courtyard. The hall church was also extended with a pentagonal apse to accommodate the presbytery.
16th century: Charles V, church expansion and iconoclasm
Emperor Charles V was born in 1500, a stone’s throw from the carmelite convent. His mother, Johanna of Castile, is said to have visited the convent of the discalced carmelites shortly before giving birth.
A major building campaign was launched in the early 16th century. This century, marked by a great building drive, saw the creation of the site that is still recognisable today. In three successive building phases, the church was expanded. In the first phase, a side aisle and side chapels were added to the hall church. Each chapel contains a hanging keystone riveted to the actual stone keystone with an iron spindle. These can still be found in Kunsthal Gent. In a second phase, simultaneously with the construction of the side aisle and chapels, work started on the construction of the large refectory and a long corridor to reach it. Under this refectory there is a basement, the space above it was used as a library. All these rooms were connected by a unique stone spiral staircase or winding staircase without a central pivot. After this, in the third phase, they built a small refectory, a kitchen, a dormitorium or communal dormitory and a calefactorium or heat room.
De Beeldenstorm
Muurschildering in het Oud Huis van Kunsthal Gent
This great building campaign came to an end in 1566 with the first iconoclasm, which did not spare the carmelite monastery either. The organ was destroyed, with two people reportedly losing their lives. In the Old House, the iconoclasts presumably destroyed parts of the original mural. The faces of the depicted figures were noticeably scratched away… a silent witness to the violence? A second Iconoclasm would hit the carmelites in 1578, damaging the tombstone of Antoon Van Hille (†1570). This tombstone can still be seen in Kunsthal Gent, next to the current cinema. By burying people in the cloister, they managed to maximise the limited area of the church floor, which was also interesting for the carmelites from a financial point of view. These graves and the underfloor heating installed on top of them in the 1990s inspired artist Bram De Jonghe for his work in the Endless Exhibition, Wishbone.
This was followed by a brief halt to the Order, and even the sale of the buildings. The complex was split into thirteen lots. But by 1584, the carmelites were again present on and around the site.
17th century: a boom in monastic interiors
In the 16th century, some reform movements reached the Low Countries, paying great attention to the ancient liturgy and silent prayer. Poverty, detachment and seclusion were restored. Under this influence, a split between pastoral (secular) and unpastoral (purely contemplative) carmelites took place. This wave of reform inspired the Ghent Ladybrothers. The order on Lange Steenstraat joined the shorn branch, and later in 1641 a group of unshorn carmelites also arrived in Ghent. They settled in the Burgstraat. The reform at Lange Steenstraat led to a flourishing of the monastery interior. At the end of the 17th century, they built the (today still completely intact) lazy staircase and access to the second Pandhof via the long corridor of the hall church.
De benedenkerk met zicht op het doksaal en op de zijbeuk
De zaalkerk van de Karmelieten, toen deze nog als kerk in gebruik was
18th century: a new courtyard
In the years 1717 — 1720, the carmelites decided to erect a new Pandhof. As a result, the first, dating from 1466, disappeared. Following tradition, the carmelites continued to build, including several service buildings and a parlour.
19th - 20th century: from the French Revolution to the Pandemists
At the end of the 18th century, the French Revolution (1789) reverberates down to Ghent and religious orders are abolished by law. The site is forcibly put up for sale, but the carmelites unite as private individuals and buy back their life’s work in 18?? private parts. Some well-to-do citizens had additionally bought up part of the contents to later donate back to the carmelites. However, many carmelites ceded their share of the site to the church by will. On 19 July 1841, the last carmelite disappeared from Lange Steenstraat and the monastery became the full property of the Church Factory of Holy Christmas. The monastery was further divided into rooms and rented out around 1850. By around 1880, 200 families found shelter on the entire site. Also, a number of painters found their studios there. From 1845, Verhaeghe de Naeyer leased the church as a staple site, before buying it in 1853.
Het Caemersklooster aan de Lange Steenstraat
In 1881 kocht de Stad Gent de kloosterkerk en gebruikte ze o.a. als archeologisch museum en als museum voor volkskunde
In 1881, the City of Ghent bought the church to set up the Archaeological Museum (today: STAM). The transformation took place according to plans by city architect Charles Van Rysselberghe. This involved laying a new floor, removing the tombstones and burying the bones in charnel pits, situated between the Old House and the old corridor. This museum will remain here until 1925. It was then put at the disposal of the Union of East Flemish Folklorists, which housed the Folklore Museum (today: Huis Van Alijn). When this museum too moved in 1962, the church became a warehouse for Opera sets. In 1977, the Province of East Flanders bought the rest of the monastery complex. The following year, 75 residents living mainly in the second pandhof were informed that they could no longer stay there. A squatting action by the ‘Pandinist Accommodation Front’ follows. The action triggers a social debate on affordable housing in the city that also involves several artists.
Thereafter, the Province exchanged the ‘second’ pandhof and the sacristy/speaking room with the City of Ghent for the church. The City then started the restoration of the complex and converted it into social housing in 1991. In a first phase (1982−1985), the Province restored the infirmary and the brewery, after which (1986−1988) a new caretaker’s house with appurtenances was built. In 1991 – 1998, they then restored the Old House, the Long Corridor, the old pawn shop and the church. Since 1998, with the opening of the Caermersklooster Provincial Cultural Centre, the Old House, the Long Corridor and the church have functioned as an exhibition space. From then on, the name ‘Caermersklooster’ was used for the building.
Kunsthal Gent opende de deuren in 2019
2018 - present: Kunsthal Gent opens its doors
In 2018, the hall church and the Old House came back into the hands of the City of Ghent and in January 2019, Kunsthal Gent opened its doors as a place for the presentation and development of contemporary visual arts.
The above text is a largely based on Geert Vandamme’s article on the blog Gandavum², ‘The Caermersklooster in Ghent: a (building) historical approach’. Read the full blog via this link (dutch).
For more background on actions and the social debate unleashed by De Pandemists in the 1970s, please refer to Stijn Oosterlycnk’s 2010 article in Brood & Rozen magazine, ‘The struggle for a human-sized city in Ghent. The Pandinist Residential Front and the revaluation of the city as a residential environment.’ Read it via this link.
Sources
Stijn Oosterlycnk in ‘Bread & Roses. The struggle for a human-sized city in Ghent. The Pandinist Residential Front and the revaluation of the city as a residential environment’. 2010
Geert Vandamme on Gandavum: online magazine on Ghent urban history. ‘The Caermersklooster in Ghent: a (building) historical approach’. 2017
Videos with guide Roger Van Bockstaele
