Beguinage is situated near Minnewater Lake, which used to be a part of the canal that connected Bruges and Ghent. Nowadays it's just a small picturesque lake with beautiful swans swimming in it. There is an interesting legend in Bruges, which is connected with swans. When Maximilian of Austria raised the taxes again, Bruges citizens rebelled and captivated the city. They also beheaded the former town head, whose name was Pieter Lanchals (it means 'long neck'). When Maximilian got the power back, he made an order, according to which swans (because they also have long necks) are to be bred till the end of the world in Bruges. Do you know how to differ a female swan from a male swan? You can guess by the mark - male swans have it on the right clutch and female swans have it on the left one.
The chapel of the Holy Blood. The chapel of the Holy Blood was built on the site of Basilius Chapel of the 12th century. The beautiful church is a wonderful example of the Romanesque style. Visitors will see a colored wooden image of the Virgin with the baby (approximately 1300) on the right nave. Initially, the chapel of the Holy Blood was built in the Romanesque style, but in the 15th century after the reconstruction it turned into a Gothic chapel. During the French revolution the basilica was ruined, and then it was rebuilt from the very beginning. Entering the church is free, but you will have to pay in order to visit the Museum of the Holy Blood. As the legend says, in 1150 a part of linen with blood of Jesus was brought from Jerusalem. The duke that had brought it ordered to build Basilius Chapel, where the relic was to be kept. We can't say for sure whether it’s truth of not. Scientists have a theory that most likely the legend tells about Duke Baldwin IX, who brought it from the crusade to Constantinople in 1203.
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