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One of Europe's oldest preserved hospital buildings with masterpieces by the Flemish primitive Hans Memling and surprising contemporary artworks by artists such as Berlinde De Bruyckere and Patricia Piccinini.
The Museum St John’s Hospital extends a warm welcome to all of its visitors. Step inside this 12th-century hospital and immerse yourself in the history of care (and caring). St John's Hospital is a warm place that speaks to the heart. Not least thanks to its world-famous Memling collection and other fascinating old art, the hospital collection and contemporary works, complemented by gripping stories and testimonies of hospitality and empathy. A museum that will make your heart beat faster.
Hospitality and care have been intertwined with the hospital's DNA since it was originally founded back in the 12th century. Anyone who needed care or a place to sleep was welcome there, regardless of origin or class. Today, the St John’s Hospital Museum is there to welcome you. An inviting location where experience, hospitality and healing for the centre-points, as they have always done throughout the centuries.
Be enchanted by the works of one of the most famous Flemish primitives – Hans Memling. This 15th-century master of hyper realistic scenes and landscapes lived and worked in Bruges and created his most important masterpieces there. Memling created four of the seven masterpieces in the museum specifically for St John's Hospital and they have been housed there since the late 15th century. We even built a monumental glass case especially to display his works. In the adjacent hospital church, you come face to face with the St Ursula Shrine, one of Memling's absolute masterpieces, which is in dialogue with Berlinde De Bruyckere's 'Liggende-Arcangelo II'. Musea Brugge's Memling collection is the second largest in the world.
Take some time to go to the attic floor, which can be reached via the stairs or the lift. The roof structure, which is made from oak beams, is among the oldest and most monumental in Europe, and immediately catches your attention. Here, from autumn 2024 onwards, an innovative immersive experience will fully transport you in Hans Memling's world.
Your visit to the St John’s Hospital Museum will not be complete without a look inside the old hospital pharmacy and herb garden. With its authentic 17th-century interior, the pharmacy will take you on a journey into the history of the sister apothecaries.
Photos: © Femke den Hollander & © Stad Brugge/Musea Brugge
