statue beguine the beautiful courtyard begijnhof amsterdam

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Statue of a Beguine in the beautiful courtyard of The Begijnhof at Amsterdam

Statue of a Beguine in the beautiful courtyard of The Begijnhof at Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This statue is crafted in 1974 by Dutch sculptor Margaretha de Goede-Taal and is often incorrectly labeled as nun. It is actually a beguine (Dutch begijn), a member of the Catholic female lay communities that lived in bÃÂ©guinages. Like nuns, the beguines devoted their lives to prayer and charitable deeds. However, the women took no vows and were allowed to own material possessions and were free to leave the community or wed at any time.