Saint John the Baptist Church

Saint John the Baptist Church, which originally was a beguinage church, was erected between 1305 and 1440. Beguinages emerged in the 12th century in response to religious reform. They were communities of women who lived evangelical lives without taking traditional monastic vows. They engaged in education, health care and other social activities. Both the Great Beguinage and the Small Beguinage in Leuven were established around the 13th century. The church, the oldest building in the Great Beguinage, combines early Gothic with Romanesque elements. Austerity, no transept, a marked chancel and/or side chapels are typical features of beguinage churches. Nowadays the interior is sparsely furnished and decorated, but it wasn’t always so. The passage of the French Revolution, resulting in the confiscation of buildings and successive restorations, led to the partial dismantling of the interior. Following its restoration between 1978 and 1985, the interior reflects the renewal of church and liturgy inspired by the Second Vatican Council. Unesco recognized Leuven's Great Beguinage as a World Heritage Site in 1998, along with 12 other beguinages in Flanders.

A discovery during the 1978-1980 restoration works revealed remnants of medieval murals in the Saint John the Baptist Church of the Great Beguinage. Dating back to the 15th century, they depict the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins. The painting in tempera shows the wise virgins climbing the stairs to heaven. Christ as the mystic bridegroom is shown at the top of the stairs. The foolish virgins are descending into hell. At the bottom of the stairs, in a vaulted room with an altar, beguines in their black habit and beige veil depict a number of virtues and vices. The mural is meant to be moralizing. Accompanying text excerpts and Bible quotations were written in the vernacular for literate beguines who were not proficient in Latin.