Heiligenmuseum

About the museum

The Heiligenmuseum is housed in the Old Presbytery of Lissewege, a former seventeenth-century presbytery next to the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Bezoekingkerk. In the summer of 2005 the VVV Lissewege (local tourist office) organised the exhibition “Heiligen en hun levens” in this building, with forty statues of patron saints and their life stories.

As the exhibition attracted a lot of interest, especially from groups, the VVV decided to make it permanent and to expand it. At the initiative of collector-restorer Rudy Desmedt, the collection grew into a museum. The statues come from churches and convents, are made of plaster, wood and terracotta, and date mainly from 1870 to 1930; they are therefore neo-Gothic and often richly painted.

At the end of 2011 the museum received a completely new layout, with a presentation on the walls and in wall cabinets, and a name plate beside each statue with the saint's life story and feast day. At the end of 2021 the first room was also fully fitted out as a saints' room; the village exhibition on Lissewege and the Ter Doest abbey moved to the Visitor Centre. Alongside the permanent collection there is a thematic exhibition about saints every summer. A walled presbytery garden offers a view of the thirteenth-century church and tower.

Highlights

• More than 150 statues of patron saints from churches and convents, neo-Gothic and richly painted
• Well-known saints such as Anthony, Barbara, Godelieve and Nicholas alongside rare statues
• Name plates with life story and feast day beside each statue
• Video film on saints and their veneration
• Annual thematic exhibition in summer
• Walled presbytery garden with a view of the church and tower of Lissewege

Permanent exhibition

• Heiligenbeelden uit kerken en kloosters – More than 150 neo-Gothic statues of patron saints, each with a name plate giving the life story and feast day, plus a video on the veneration of saints.

Founded

2005

Operated by

VVV Lissewege

Admission & discounts

Other rates may apply for (school) groups. Individual tickets for the guided summer visit (€5 per person) are sold at the Visitor Centre.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is not accessible to wheelchair users.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

Visit Bruges describes the museum as child-friendly; children up to and including 12 years old pay a lower rate.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Old Presbytery next to the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Bezoekingkerk.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The nearby Visitor Centre Lissewege (Walram Romboudtstraat 7) has a museum shop with booklets on the history of Lissewege, the Heiligenmuseum and Ter Doest abbey, and provides tourist information.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit