O.L.V. ter Potterie (Our Lady of the Pottery)
O.L.V. ter Potterie (Our Lady of the Pottery) is one of Bruges' oldest urban care institutions. The name 'Potterie' dates back to the time when potters were located along the waterfront.
By 1276, there was already a functioning 'hospital' here with lay nuns who received pilgrims, travellers and passers-by and cared for the sick. From 1411, it also served as a retirement home for old Bruges citizens who received board and lodging there.
The current museum, housed in the historic infirmary and cloister, preserves many works of art, monastic and worship relics, and utensils from many centuries of care provision. Since 2023, a 17th-century dice cup from that collection has been part of the Flemish Masterpiece List.
The church has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries and also the final destination of the Brugse Belofte or procession of Our Lady of the Blind. During the Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle (1304), the women who were left behind promised to offer a candle to Our Lady of the Pottery every year if their sons and husbands returned home safely. The house of worship boasts an opulent Baroque interior and also a unique 13th-century limestone miracle statue, one of the oldest preserved in Bruges. The miracles attributed to the statue are featured not only on the tapestries but also in the miracle book of drawings and in the colourful stained glass windows.
