Adornes Estate & Jerusalem Chapel

In the 13th century, a Genoese merchant named Opicius Adornes followed the Count of Flanders to Bruges and started a new branch of his Italian family in this Flemish city. Within a generation, the Adornes — or Adorno, in their native Italian — had become part of the Bruges aristocracy, playing a prominent role in the city's administrative and economic life. Their private estate in the quiet Sint-Anna district has survived for over six centuries, and it is still owned by their descendants. The current custodians, Count and Countess Maximilien de Limburg Stirum, are the 17th generation since the founders.

The centrepiece is the Jerusalem Chapel, consecrated in 1429 and rebuilt by Anselm Adornes — the most famous family member, who served as a diplomat and adviser to the Burgundian dukes. In 1470, Anselm undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, braving what the historical record describes as "countless dangers." When he returned, he remodelled the family chapel to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, complete with an Eastern-style tower that looks startlingly out of place in Bruges. Inside, there is a replica of Christ's tomb and a fragment of the True Cross. Anselm himself is buried here — or at least his body is. He was murdered in Scotland in 1483 while on a diplomatic mission, and only his body was returned. His heart was buried in Scotland.

The estate also includes almshouses that Anselm built for single women — a charitable act that was typical of wealthy medieval Bruges citizens who sought both spiritual merit and social prestige. The former almshouses now serve as the visitor entrance to the estate and include the Lace Centre, making this quiet corner of Sint-Anna a remarkable concentration of history in a very small space.

This is the Bruges that most tourists miss entirely, and it is arguably the most rewarding.