Bruges - Sint-Jansspitaal

Immediately opposite the west door of the Onze Lieve Vrouwkerk stands the oldest building in Bruges, the Sint-Jansspitaal founded in the 12th C. The tympanum over the bricked up gate to the left of the Mariastraat entrance, embellished with reliefs showing the Virgin, bears the date 1270. Inside the ancient building, in what were once wards, an exhibition of documents, surgical instruments etc. charts the hospital's history. The old dispensary adjacent to the wards has also been preserved.