Ex-voti - markers of permanent devotion Ex-voti are objects which Christians, in gratitude for recovery from illness or to ward off calamity or disease, place as votive offerings before the image of the saint who is thought to bring about the recovery, ward off the disease or prevent the calamity. Seeking good health and prosperity or giving thanks by means of a material object is part of a spiritual rite, seasoned with a whiff of mysticism. It involves a manual process of fashioning or procuring the ex-voto, bringing it to the saint's location, the prayers offered there before or after placing the ex-voto, not necessarily near the image of the saint where the ex-voto is placed. What matters is that visual - i.e. lasting - shape is given to the mental and religiously inspired attitude. How does the believer prove to the community to which he or she belongs that a promise has been fulfilled? How does the pilgrim show his or her wish to obtain physical or mental healing? Without the illustrative image or effigy of a saint in the immediate vicinity of the ex-voto in question, the ex-voto does not enshrine the salutary effect, the intrinsic message of promise, faith and devotion. Believer, ex-voto and saint form an indivisible visual and spiritual trinity. The community to which the ex-voto culture belongs also participates in the special ritual that transcends time and place. Through the believer who puts the ex-voto in place, a socio-religious communication process is instituted which acquires a transcendental significance. Ex-voti are universal in character. They are widespread and have a long and potent history. The story of the origin of ex-voti clearly shows that these are timeless objects. The essentially modest artefacts are intended for all people who are on the same spiritual wavelength. Exactly how far back the ex-voto culture dates or where the first ex-voto was made are questions that are difficult to answer. Ex-voti belong to the universal intangible cultural heritage which is deeply embedded in the collective memory. As far as the ex-voti are concerned which have been around since the Middle Ages, the presence of a Christian religious context is a necessary precondition for their existence. Ex-voti embody the deep-seated human desire for transcendence. Ex-voti bring about an everlasting remembrance. When we leave the sacred location, the ex-voti remain in place. They enduringly exemplify the surreptitious and sometimes one-off passage of a pilgrim. They transform the ephemeral character of the encounter between saint and pilgrim. They survive the pilgrim and at the same time immortalize him or her.
The St John's Hospital Dispensary THE GROUNDS OF ST JOHN'S HOSPITAL St John's Hospital is a municipal institution. Originally, the land it stands on lay just outside the first ramparts (1127- 1128). But as Bruges grew, the hospital came to lie within the town walls. The oldest buildings on these grounds date from the Middle Ages, notably the huge hospital ward, which is now the museum. On either side of it is a convent. One was intended for the brothers; the sisters lived in the other. The convent now accommodates the municipal administration, but up until 2005 it was still the home of the sisters of St John's. On the other side is the convent, which includes the pharmacy - where you are now. In the mid-nineteenth century it was decided to build a new hospital, right in the middle of the grounds. This red-brick building, built 700 years after the medieval hospital, is now a conference centre. With the new hospital and the other neo- Gothic buildings the grounds now look completely different. Much of the old hospital's green areas, such as the kitchen gardens, orchards and pasture land, disappeared beneath the new buildings. FORMER CONVENT, PRESENT PHARMACY Construction of the monastery began around 1300, but new buildings were added as time went by. On the ground floor were the day quarters, including the refectory. The dormitory, bursar's room, records room, and the chamber of the master or head of the brothers were on the first floor, which is not open to visitors. The brothers looked after the hospital's administration. They kept the accounts, noted income and expenditure, and so forth. THE CLOISTERS The atmospheric cloisters that run around the cloister-garth date from the early sixteenth century. In this gallery the furniture that once adorned the quarters of the brothers and nuns is displayed. The earliest pieces date from the late Gothic period (1300-1500). There are handsome oak cupboards, some with a grille, which suggests they were used for storing food. There are large freestanding cupboards and smaller wall cupboards. Note too the carved linenfold panels, a typical late-Gothic design. THE PHARMACY In 1643, when the last brother had died and the convent was empty, the town council decided to install an apothecary's shop or dispensary in it. This dispensary was in use from 1645 to 1971. Two apothecaries were employed, and it was their job to see that the dispensary was properly stocked with all the necessary materials and appurtenances. They also imparted their pharmaceutical knowledge to the first sisters to work in the dispensary. From 1651 the nuns ran the dispensary themselves. They bought in their medicines from local Bruges apothecaries, and they also made many preparations of their own. For close to the convent was a large herb garden covering 3,214 square metres. This has now gone, but the rectangular beds in the courtyard just in front of the dispensary are a lasting reminder of it. Of all the parts of the museum that are open to visitors, the pharmacy is the most authentic. Over the years little has changed, as we can tell from the painting (1800-1850) in the gallery, produced by Van Bree. It shows the apothecary- sisters at work, dressed in their habits. One pounds ingredients in a large bronze mortar while another sorts herbs, an open herbarium at her feet. At the long dispensing counter two sisters make up prescriptions.
