Saint Elisabeth Church, Ghent

Sint-Elisabethkerk, or Saint Elisabeth Church, is a UNESCO World Heritage site dating from 1234. The church bears the name of Elisabeth of Hungary, also known as Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia. Scenes of her life are depicted on the neo-Gothic pulpit. Some parts of the church originate in the 13th century, when the beguinage was established. In the 17th century the church underwent major reconstruction, assuming the Baroque style complete with a distinctive element—the small wooden Baroque belfry. After the beguines left at the end of the 19th century, Saint Elisabeth’s church turned into a parish. It stands amidst a marshland, which at the time was used by the beguines to bleach their washing, much as for many other domestic things.