The history of the Caermersklooster, situated in Ghent’s Patershol, dates back to the 13th century. At that time, the monastery developed in the shadow of the Castle of the Counts. The Carmelites settled in the Patershol and built and rebuilt, over the centuries, a full-fledged monastery.
Late 12th century: a refuge for the monks
In the late 12th century, a Refugium, a stone shelter for the monks of Cambron Abbey in Hainaut, was built on the site where the Old House now stands. Today, the site of Cambron Abbey is home to the Pairi Daiza zoo. The term Refugium still echoes in our operation under the Refuge programme line, in which we give shelter to young and starting collectives.
De wijk rond het Gravensteen in de 12e eeuw
Het Oud Huis in de Lange Steenstraat
13th century: the first Carmelites
The first Carmelites arrived in Ghent in 1272. They took their name from Mount Carmel in Haifa (Israel), where the order was founded in 1200. Under pressure from the Saracens, they left the area around Mount Carmel and many migrated to Europe. They were given permission as the third Mendicant Order to settle in St Michael’s parish in Ghent. They were called ‘Lady Brothers’ because they venerate Mary. Much later, the Vrouwebroersstraat along the side of the monastery will refer to this. In 1287, these Carmelites bought the Refugium and grounds of 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 courtyard was built in the third quarter of the 15th century, presumably because the first monastery 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
In 1500, Charles V was born a stone’s throw from the Carmelite convent. His mother, Johanna of Castile, is said to have visited the Carmelite convent shortly before the birth.
In the early 16th century, a major building campaign was launched. During this century, characterised by a great building drive, the site that is still recognisable today came into being. 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 natural stone keystone with an iron spindle, which can still be found in Kunsthal Gent. In a second phase, simultaneously with the construction of the side aisle and chapels, work began on the construction of the large refectory and a Long Corridor to reach this refectory. 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 is still present in Kunsthal Gent, under the current cinema. Burying people in the monastery 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 inspired artist Bram De Jonghe with his addition to the Endless Exhibition, using the current floor heating that runs above the graves as inspiration for the work 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 back on and around the site.
17th century: a boom in monastic interiors
In the 16th century, some reform movements reached the Low Countries, giving great attention to silent prayer and the ancient liturgy; poverty, detachment and seclusion were restored. Under this influence, a split between Discalced (secular) and Discalced (purely contemplative) Carmelites took place. This wave of reform inspired the Lady Brothers of Ghent. The order on Lange Steenstraat joined the Discalced branch, and later in 1641 a group of Discalced 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 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 courtyard. As a result, the first, dating from 1466, disappeared. Following tradition, the Carmelites continued to build diligently, 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 through to Ghent and religious orders are abolished by law. The site was forcibly put up for sale, but the Carmelites united as private individuals and bought 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 Saint Christmas. The monastery was further divided into rooms and rented out around 1850. 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 a Museum of Antiquities (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 Residence Front’ follows. The action triggers a social debate in which several artists are also involved.
Subsequently, the Province exchanged the ‘second’ pandhof and the sacristy/preaching room with the City of Ghent for the church. The City then started restoring 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. Then, in 1991 – 1998, they restored the Old House, the Long Corridor, the old pawn shop and the church. However, after being used as social housing for a while, the second pledge court has been vacant again since 2020 due to stricter housing standards. This led to a second crackdown in May 2021, this time by the ‘Pandemists’. The Old House, the Long Corridor and the church have functioned as exhibition space since 1998, with the opening of Provincial Cultural Centre Caermersklooster.
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
