The Congregation of the Black Sisters were an Augustinian order, also called Cell Sisters, Celzusters, Black Sisters or Alexianen Sisters; a beguine order that originated in the Southern Netherlands (Belgium). In the fourteenth century their dependent communities were included among other religious congregations. The Black Sisters Monastery (also called Monastery of Nazareth) is from 1438 and was founded for health care. In 1680 there was reconstruction of the monastic buildings; 1686, chapel building in baroque style and in the 19th century, construction of the wing on Schapenstraat. Care for mentally handicapped continued until 1969. Now it is a university building and residence for students from Loyola of Chicago.
In the Middle Ages, names were given to roads in the direction the road was headed. So with St Peter’s Church as the hub and the streets of Leuven like spokes on a wagon wheel (radiating outward), the major streets of Leuven were named: Naamsestraat, heads you in the direction of Namen; Tiensestraat headed you to Tienen; Diestsestraat to Diest; Mechelsestraat, Mechelen; Brusselsestraat to Brussels; Parijsestraat, to Paris. Further on, Tervursestraat to Tervuren (a suburb of Brussels)..
Just as a devout Muslim faces Mecca when praying, in medieval Catholic churches the priest would say Mass standing at the altar and facing the East (the Holy Land, Jerusalem) as a way of doing homage to this holy place.
That Noormannenstraat is the supposed site of a Viking encampment from where they began their siege of Leuven in 891 (Battle of Leuven). They were defeated by Arnulf of Carinthia, King of the Franks. The battle took place on the banks of the Dijle River near the Groot Begijnhof and was important in that it stopped further Viking incursion into Europe. As a nod to the past, there is a student residence named The Viking.
That the light purple and light green leaded windows seen on older homes was a way of approximating and imitating the stained glass windows of churches, thus avoiding a "window tax" levied on all windows except those colored windows of churches.
A native American (American Indian) Head carving can be found on the corner of the American College building at Naamsestraat and Karmelietenberg. The native head was included into the American college building to represent the history of the college, since the first seminarians who were instructed there were sent to the New World to minister to the Native American population. |