St John Altarpiece

More than 500 years ago, the sisters and brothers of the hospital commissioned Hans Memling to create this imposing triptych, an altarpiece for the hospital's church. They can be seen on the exterior panels and in the center. On the central panel, between the columns, is the wooden crane of Bruges used to lift wine barrels from boats. Taxes on wine imports, were for the hospital. Memling also painted the patron saints and patrons of the hospital: St. John the Baptist with lamb and St. John the Evangelist with the chalice. On the right, behind a column, a friar in long black habit. Scrolling on your smartphone, advertising billboards on your way to work, evenings in front of the television: every day we see hundreds of images and, by now, have grown accustomed to them. But this was not the case in the 15th century. A monumental altarpiece, such as the St John Altarpiece , must have made a big impression back then. Such works of art were made to stand on an altar in a church, and unlike how they are arranged today, they were often closed. People usually only saw the outside, which was often painted in grisaille (shades of grey). The altarpieces were only opened on special feast days, revealing a life-like depiction full of colours. Those who experienced the transition from black-and-white to colour television can probably imagine how this must have felt for the average churchgoer. Literally as if a world opened up before them … Great that you want to visit several museums. With the advantageous Musea Brugge Card you have 72 hours to do so. A Musea Brugge card purchased online only becomes active at the start of your first visit and can be activated up to one year after purchase. Tip: reserve your time slot for each museum you want to visit via this page . We certainly recommend this for busy locations such as the Belfry. A location may be closed for exceptional reasons (works, demolition of an exhibition, etc.). Check the location pages on our website for more information before your visit. Great that you want to visit the O.L.V.-kerk Museum. Did you know that a discounted combiticket also gives access to the adjacent Gruuthusemuseum ? Visit this beautifully renovated city palace and enjoy a € 5.00 discount. Great that you want to visit several museums. Did you know that the advantageous Musea Brugge Card gives free admission for 72 hours to all open locations of Musea Brugge? Return to all offers! The Musea Brugge Card only becomes active at the start of your first visit. So you could also surprise someone with it! Nice of you to join us at our digital Symposium. Please use the field 'Group name' for the name of your organisation or institution. Dietary wishes or allergies? Please indicate these under "remarks" when placing the order, so we can take them into account. Thank you for your interest in visiting the Sint-Janshuismolen. We would like to inform you about the limited capacity of the mill. The Sint-Janshuismolen is not very large, and for safety reasons, we can only accommodate a maximum of 25 students per half hour. To ensure that all students can explore the mill, we will divide the class into two or three groups on-site. A part of the group will have the opportunity to view the mill from the outside, while the other part can actually enter the mill. After a certain time, the groups will switch so that everyone has a chance to see and experience everything. We want to ensure that all students have a valuable and educational experience during their visit to the Sint-Janshuismolen. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in following this arrangement. Visiting the Stadhuis (City Hall) and the Brugse Vrije? Your ticket for the Stadhuis gives you free access to the Brugse Vrije. A separate ticket for the Brugse Vrije is therefore not necessary. Want to know more ?