Filled With All God’s Virtues
Far from the windswept and crowded Grote Markt (“far” being relative as this is petite Bruges: a 20 minute walk), on the edge of the medieval city is an estate in miniature, a little bit of peaceful Palestine, a secluded retreat where rich and poor lived, worked and worshipped cheek by jowl. Local historian Véronique Lambert waxes lyrical, “The domain is not just a museum. It is a remarkable cocktail of ancient structures, precious objects, fascinating stories and modern creations, all served with a strong dash of family tradition.” Welcome to the Adornes Estate.
Following a four year restoration which included removing 19th century accretions, Count Maximilien and Countess Véronique de Limburg Stirum, the 17th generation of the founding family, opened the estate to the public. While their grand house remains private, the adjoining Almshouses Museum, Jerusalem Chapel and Scottish Lounge can all be visited. Why Scottish? A whistlestop history will explain the tartan connection.
The Countess sets out, “It is equally remarkable that the Adornes history has continued unbroken over six centuries, surviving storms and setbacks, the secularism of the French Revolution, the fury of two World Wars and the inevitable periods of disinterest. In scarcely three generations, the Adornes were able to create such a strong familial and patrimonial identity that the following generations could rely on a heritage sufficiently full of responsibility and resources to allow them to ensure the continued preservation of the most important parts of what they had inherited. That being said, the Adornes history is much more than a story of bricks and mortar. It is also a story about people of flesh and blood.”
In the 14th century, Opicino Adornes came from Geneo to settle in Bruges to capitalise on the commercial and financial potential of this leading European centre. His descendants fitted into Bruges like hands in lace gloves. Travel writer Jan Adornes raved in 1471, “Bruges is the most refined city in the world. It is with good reason that people say it is filled with all God’s virtues and must be regarded as one of the most beautiful trading cities ever seen. The city is part of the sweet province of Flanders. Even though the soil is largely infertile, the sea and the foreign merchants make it one of the richest of cities in all respects, after Ghent, which is the first city and capital of Flanders. Because of its location and its beauty, it would be difficult to find a city that can compare to Bruges, the place that is our home.” The Adornes would be merchants, diplomats, pilgrims and patrons of the arts.
International businessman Anselm Adornes negotiated a trade deal between Bruges and James III of Scotland. He travelled widely, visiting Jaffa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Véronique Lambert explains, “News of Anselm’s return was soon on everyone’s lips. His prestige in Bruges had been high before his departure, but his successful pilgrimage boosted it to new heights. The names Adornes and Jerusalem were now mentioned in the same breath. Inspired by his journey, Anselm drew up plans to demolish his father’s Jerusalem Chapel and replace it with a new house of prayer that was an exact copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem itself – a fitting shrine for the Holy Relics.” The result is one of the most melodramatic features of the crowded skyline of Bruges: cupola capped octagonal turrets guard a stone pillared gallery which props up a timber octagonal box rising to a smaller box supporting a copper globe with a cross on top for good measure. Six almshouses for 12 poor women (one room each of the two floors), the new chapel and house rebuilding were completed by Anselm’s death in 1483.
Dr Roderick O’Donnell, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, states, “Bruges, the heart of Catholic Flanders, a vital redoubt of the Counter Reformation and for the preservation of English Catholicism during the years of persecution 1559 to 1791, that is, between the accession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Second Catholic Relief Act.” A chaplain performed a daily Mass for the Adornes family and the poor women. A priest still celebrates Mass every Saturday morning. In contrast to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem with its chaos and cacophony, the Jerusalem Chapel in Bruges is a haven of tranquillity, a place of refuge, a sanctuary of solitude. Gregorio Allegri’s 1638 Miserere Mei Deus, that hauntingly beautiful nine voice setting of Psalm 51, penetrates the intense atmosphere. High C reverberates round the rooms. This really is a place of flesh and blood. A wooden Latin cross flanked by two Tau crosses on a white sandstone Calvary rises between the lower and upper levels.
Véronique Lambert again, “The instruments of the Passion are sculpted: the column, the purse with Judas’ 30 pieces of silver, the lantern, the rod, the whip, the lance of Longinus, two ladders, the ruined tower, the hammer, the tongs, the nails, the rope, the stick with the sponge, the bucket filled with vinegar, Christ’s garments and the dice use to cast lots for them. Together with the skulls and the bones they visualise in a poignant manner the suffering of Christ. At the top, there is an angel wearing a crown of thorns.”
The tomb of Anselm Adornes and his wife Margareta van der Banck forms the centrepiece of the lower level. A lion representing bravery lies at his feet; a dog for faithfulness at hers. The upper level rises for many metres through the octagonal tower and is capped by wooden cross rib vaulting. Under the upper level is a crypt with a low opening revealing the recumbent figure of Christ. Adios to the Adornes Estate.
