Beguines are lay sisterhoods made up of women who devote themselves to a life of religion without taking monastic vows. Such communities have existed since the 12th and 13th centuries. They began in the Netherlands, although the origin of the word is uncertain — it may come from a Flemish word meaning "to pray," or possibly from Lambert le Bègue, a priest of Liège who died around 1187 and who may have founded the sisterhood, or it may even be related to the word Albigensian. In religious organizations , the laity comprises all lay persons, i. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... The term Flemish language can designate: the official language of Flanders, which is Dutch with only very small variations; any of the regional dialects of Dutch spoken in Belgium; these are more different from Dutch than the official language of Flanders; one of these dialects, the West Flemish. ... Liège (Dutch: Luik, German: Lüttich) is a major city located in the Belgian province of Liège, of which it is the capital. ... Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ...

In the 12th century Beguines were women who lived as nuns without taking religious vows; with no vows they could return to normal life if they wished. There were originally very few of them, but as they became popular during the period of the Crusades, many women joined then when their husbands, fathers, or brothers were away in the east or had been killed there. Beguines lived and worked outside towns and cities among the urban poor, relying on labour to support themselves rather than begging for alms. They were more recognizable in urban settings than the major monastic orders, who mostly lived in rural areas, and were known for their kind attentions to the poor, the ill, and the dying. In general, a nun is a female ascetic who chooses to voluntarily leave the world and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. ... This article is about the medieval Crusades . ... The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is a series of automobile races, founded in 1999 by Don Panoz, and sanctioned by IMSA. The American Le Mans Series utilizes the rules and regulations of the Automobile Club de LOuest, which organizes the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, to... Monasticism (from Greek: monachos—a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ...

In the early 13th century the first Beguine communities, known as beguinages (from Lat. beginagium) were formed around grand mistresses, with a small church and often a hospital, but individual houses for each woman rather than a single large building on the model of a convent. No two communities of Beguines were connected to each other by any rule or mother house. Some beguine communities included only upper class women, some only the poor, but most were women of all classes. Numbers varied in different areas but in Ghent the community had several thousand members. Beguines also spread to France (encouraged by Louis IX), Germany, and Switzerland. By the end of the 13th century nearly every town in the Netherlands had a beguine community (or several). A Béguinage is a collection of small buidlings used by Beguines, which were several lay sisterhoods of the Roman Catholic Church, founded in the 13th century in the Netherlands, of religious women who sought to serve god without retiring from the world. ... This page is about the Belgian city. ... Only representation of Saint Louis known to be true to life - Early 14th century statue from the church of Mainneville, Eure, France King Louis IX of France or Saint Louis (April 25, 1214/1215–August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. ...

As the 13th century progressed they tended to become mystics and relied less and less on their own labour, often turning to begging instead. By the 14th century some communities were absorbed by monastic and mendicant orders, and others developed into Flagellants or other practices considered heretical. In 1311, Pope Clement V accused the Beguines of spreading heresy, and they were persecuted under John XXII, Urban V, and Gregory XI. They were rehabilitated in the 15th century by Eugenius IV. Most communities ceased to exist by the time of the Reformation, but a few still survive in the Netherlands. Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is meditation, prayer, or theology focused on the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality, or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... The Mendicant (or Begging) Orders are religious orders which depend directly on the charity of the people for their livelihood. ... The Flagellants were a 13th and 14th century Christian movement. ... Events Bolingbroke Castle passes to the House of Lancaster. ... Clement V, né Bertrand de Gouth (1264 - April 20, 1314) was pope from 1305 to 1314. ... Pope John XXII, né Jacques dEuse (1249 - December 4, 1334),was the son of a shoemaker in Cahors. ... Urban V, né Guillaume de Grimoald (1310 - December 19, 1370), pope from 1362 to 1370, was a native of Grisae in Languedoc. ... Gregory XI, né Pierre Roger de Beaufort ( 1336 - March 27, 1378), pope from 1370 to 1378, born in Limousin around 1336, succeeded Urban V in 1370 as one of the Avignon popes. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Eugenius IV, né Gabriel Condulmer (1383 - February 23, 1447) was pope from March 3, 1431 to his death. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ...

A similar community for men was the Beghards, who developed around the same time but ceased to exist during the 13th century.

External links

• CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Beguines, Beghards (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02389c.htm)
• Sisters Between by Abby Stoner (http://userwww.sfsu.edu/%7Eepf/1995/beguine.html)