{"id":50775,"date":"2025-12-02T01:19:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T00:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/?p=50775"},"modified":"2025-11-30T19:27:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T18:27:20","slug":"the-bloemardin-brussels-forgotten-rebel-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/en\/2025\/12\/02\/the-bloemardin-brussels-forgotten-rebel-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bloemardin: Brussels\u2019 Forgotten Rebel Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve ever wandered past Brussels City Hall, you might have noticed a small statue on its fa\u00e7ade \u2014 a woman\u2019s figure perched on the second floor, just to the right of the central window on Rue de la T\u00eate d\u2019Or. Her name? The Bloemardinne. And behind that quiet masonry hides one of Brussels\u2019 most fascinating, and misunderstood, women.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heilwige Bloemard, known as \u201cLa Bloemardin(n)e,\u201d was born in Brussels at the end of the 13th century. She became an influential voice in a mystical movement known as the \u201cFree Spirit.\u201d The idea was radical for its time: it rejected hierarchical obedience and celebrated the freedom of human desire \u2014 both spiritual and physical. Think of it as a medieval current of thought that blurred the lines between faith, sensuality, and self\u2011liberation. Needless to say, the Church authorities of the Middle Ages were not amused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bloemardinne was not just a mystic \u2014 she was a public intellectual, likely of noble birth, known for her intelligence and captivating speech. Her writings described a divine love that embraced sensual experience rather than condemning it. But a woman spreading such ideas in a patriarchal society was bound to attract trouble. Her movement\u2019s emphasis on female autonomy and spiritual independence was quickly branded as heresy \u2014 and her disciples, as immoral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Centuries later, in 1975, Brussels feminists from the collective La Porte ouverte<\/em> paid tribute to this forgotten figure. On the 640th anniversary of her death, they placed flowers beneath City Hall and installed a plaque declaring her \u201cBrussels\u2019 first feminist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly seven centuries on, the statue still stands there \u2014 silent, enigmatic, and a little bit subversive. A reminder that the fight for autonomy over one\u2019s body, voice, and desire has roots far deeper in Brussels\u2019 soil than one might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visits of Brussels City Hall are possible several days a week, with both self-guided tours (with a visioguide) and guided visits including access to the tower on certain days. Booking in advance online is strongly recommended.<\/strong><\/a>\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Useful info :<\/p>\n\n\n\n