Kommelkwartier in Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Refugie van Sint Gerlach / Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House

— Rijksmonument —

Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 27, 2023

1. Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

De Refugie van het Sint Gerlachusklooster te Houthem was aanvankelijk gevestigd in de Stokstraat. Wegens bouwvalligheid betrokken de religieuzen van het adellijke vrouwenstift een nieuw onderkomen aan de Brusselsestraat op een perceel dat zij in 1731 hadden gekocht. Zij verkochten het bezit in 1771 aan Hendrik Nypels, die rond dat jaar het huidige pand bouwde op de plaats van vier kleinere huizen. In het begin van de 19de eeuw kwam het huis in bezit van de familie De Stuers en in 1843 werd Victor de Stuers hier geboren.

(English translation:)

The refuge house of the Saint Gerlachus Convent in Houthem was initially located on Stokstraat. Due to its dilapidation, the noble women's convent moved to a new accommodation on Brusselsestraat on a plot that had been purchase in 1731. They sold the property in 1771 to Hendrik Nypels, who built the current building around that year on the site of four smaller houses. In the beginning of the 19th century the house came into the possession of the De Stuers family, and Victor de Stuers was born here in 1843.

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maastricht: Visitor Center, Gemeente Maastricht, ANWB.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. A significant historical year for this entry is 1731.

Location. 50° 50.975′ N, 5° 40.945′ E. Marker is in Maastricht, Limburg. It is in Kommelkwartier. Marker is on Brusselsestraat, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Brusselsestraat 77, Maastricht, Limburg 6211 PG, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Herdenkingsplein (07): Schuilgelegenheid / Shelter (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (05): Hakenkruizen in de Grote Staat / Swastikas over the Grote Staat (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (02): Dagsboekfragment / Diary Excerpt (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (03): Duitse Colonnes / German Convoy (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (06): Persoonsregistratie / Personal Registration (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (04): Bruggen Opgeblazen / Blown up Bridges (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (01): Zo Tot Veer Noets Vergete / So That We Do Not Forget (within shouting distance of this marker); Herdenkingsplein (08): ‘Op de Bon’ / Food Coupons (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Maastricht.

Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 27, 2023

2. Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House Marker - wide view

Also see . . .
1. Maastricht als toevluchtsoord (Alde Caerte, in Dutch). Maastricht als toevluchtsoord = “Maastricht as a place of refuge”

Overview (in translation): The city walls of Maastricht have long offered residents protection against unsafe outside influences since the Middle Ages. This not only applied to people who lived within the fortress, but also to residents of monasteries and castles outside the city who were also welcome in times of war or other unrest.

From the late Middle Ages it was common in the larger (fortified) cities to offer a refuge to monasteries and abbeys outside the city, in times when this was necessary due to unsafe situations. The walls of these buildings did offer some protection, but it was wise to also have accommodation within the safe city walls. Maastricht also had several of these so-called refuge houses (Latin: refugium = escape), which were owned by these monasteries and abbeys. If such an unsafe situation occurred, not only could people find shelter, relics, other valuables and archives could also be (temporarily) stored there...

(Submitted on November 7, 2023.)

2. Victor de Stuers (mestreechtersterke.nl, in Dutch). The QR code on the marker says nothing about the building as a refuge, but instead elaborates on Victor de Stuers,

Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House and Marker - looking east on Brusselsestraat image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 27, 2023

3. Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House and Marker - looking east on Brusselsestraat

Although it isn’t made clear on the marker, the refuge is both the annex on which the marker is mounted plus the much larger building to its left.

who is mentioned in the last sentence on the marker. As it turns out, de Stuers is seen as the primary instigator for monument preservation in the Netherlands. It should also be noted, as indicated on the marker, that this property is a Rijksmonument, i.e., a Dutch national monument.

His influential publication: In 1873 he published in “De Gids” - it was a long indictment against the stepmotherly way in which the Netherlands dealt with its cultural and historical heritage. De Stuers' motto: do not give alms for art from time to time out of decency, or a polite handshake, but develop a structural art and monument policy, and add the necessary money. The article was about the major problems and condition of many monuments and works of art in the Netherlands. In all walks of life he sensed that people were not that interested in the state of art and monuments. He also accused the state of a passive attitude in art education and the protection of monuments. After the publication in “De Gids” he was asked on June 22, 1875 and a little later appointed secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, and as head of the new department of Arts and Sciences.

(Submitted on November 7, 2023.)

Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House Marker - looking west on Brusselsestraat image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, October 27, 2023

4. Saint Gerlach Convent Refuge House Marker - looking west on Brusselsestraat

Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 42 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 7, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.