Hof Bladelin (Bladelin Court)

Luxury residence, bank branch and convent: diverse roles and Bladelin Court has done them all.

Bladelin Court as a city palace
The story of this ancient building begins with Pieter Bladelin, one of the richest men in Flanders in the 15th century. As a senior diplomat and counsellor to Duke Philip the Good, Bladelin had close ties with the Burgundian court. He was also treasurer of the exclusive order of knights, the Order of the Golden Fleece. In short, the man had truly made it. Around 1435-1440, he had this city palace built in Naaldenstraat with an elegant staircase tower as the ultimate status symbol.

Bladelin Court as a bank
Pieter Bladelin did not live there for long. He rented and sold his luxury residence to the de' Medici family, bankers from Florence, who opened a bank branch there. Members of this family were important financiers to the Burgundian dukes. Italians played a crucial role in the  international development of finance and banking. The de’ Medici bank in Bruges did not last long: in 1480, Lorenzo sold the branch to his bank director Tomasso Portinari. After finally going bankrupt, he was forced to sell Bladelin Court.

Bladelin Court as a convent with lace school
In the centuries that followed, the building changed owners regularly until the early 19th century, when it came into the hands of priest Leon de Foere. As assistant priest in the St Anna district he witnessed considerable poverty. This motivated him to set up a lace school in the adjacent ‘Hof Miraumont’ building. Poor girls were taught how to make bobbin lace, how to read and write as well as religious education. It was an early form of emancipation, as the girls were able to earn a living by selling their handicrafts. Lace lessons were given under the wings of religious orders. That is why De Foere also founded a community of sisters and accommodated them at Bladelin Court.

Each resident made their own mark on Bladelin Court, whereby it gradually gained its present form over a period of four centuries.

To be admired in Bladelin Court 

• painted beam keys. You can recognise the coats of arms of Philip the Good, Charles the Bold, Isabella of Portugal and de’ Medici. These silent witnesses reflect the political and artistic power of the 15th century. 
• 15th-century medallions of the married couple Lorenzo de’ Medici and Clarice Orsini, added by bank director Tomasso Portinari in honour of their marriage. The two tondos (round sculpted portraits) are among the earliest works of renaissance art in Bruges.
• the classical chapel with the pair of cherubs  sculpted by Laurent Delvaux and stained glass windows from the studio of Jules Dobbelaere. De Foere commissioned the building of the chapel, allegedly inspired by the St Agnes Basilica in Rome, for his congregation. 
• the Sister Gabrielle Claeys room. The room has garden views and decoration in late 18th-century Louis XVI style. For example, paintings with bow motifs and wreaths with scenes by the water and rectangular door panels with paintings in flower motif. 

• Pieter Bladelin in a neo-Gothic alcove. Above the gate building in Naaldenstraat you will see his polychrome image. Under a baldachin, Bladelin kneels before Our Lady. His coat of arms is displayed on the base. This statue was added under the supervision of Bruges' famous city architect Louis Delacenserie. 
• the Roman Hall. Undisputed eye-catchers in this hall are four 16th-century paintings. The large canvases are replicas of two of the four de Stanze di Rafaello in the Vatican in Rome, the former papal residence. The paintings were hung by Leon de Foere. 
• the enclosed courtyard. The cobblestones, low geometric box hedges and buildings transport you effortlessly back in time. During a visit to Bladelin Court, you automatically cross the intimate patio, where you can also find stone medallion portraits of Lorenzo de’ Medici and his wife Clarice.