Information
St. John’s Hospital (Sint-Janshospitaal) is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval hospitals in Europe. The old wards, chapel, and pharmacy breathe the atmosphere of their historical environment and the artworks and other objects kept and displayed there were made specifically for those surroundings. Paintings, sculptures, furniture, silverware and pewter objects testify to centuries of care for body and soul.
St. John’s Hospital houses an impressive collection of works of art, including six masterpieces by Hans Memling. Four of these were created especially for this location – this has been their home since the late fifteenth century. The famous Shrine of St. Ursula is one of Memling’s greatest masterpieces and a favorite with visitors. St. John’s Hospital also boasts superb sculptures, including a fourteenth-century statue of St. Cornelius, a fifteenth-century Nativity crib, and an important collection of small ivory pieces. The building itself is also notable for its architecture. The oak beams of the attic above the infirmary are among the oldest and most monumental in Europe. The adjoining monastery has a fully-equipped pharmacy with an authentic mid-seventeenth-century interior.
St. John’s Hospital is administered by Musea Brugge.
Geert Souvereyns, Curator Social History and Anne van Oosterwijk, Director of Collections (November 2022)
Collection catalogues
Het Memlingmuseum: Sint Janshospital Brugge
Smets, Irène
Ghent 2001