A dream: Art Nouveau Winter garden of the Ursulines

Not far from Mechelen is a former girls’ boarding school in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver. The beautiful Art Nouveau winter garden of the Ursulines, the heart of the former institute, is one of the most impressive sights in the region.

The history of the Ursuline Institute

The Ursulines in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver began their work in 1841 with a modest undertaking. Father Verheyden’s aim was to provide the local girls with an appropriate education. He turned to his colleague Lambertz from Tildonk and the Ursulines living there. On April 22, 1841, the first eight sisters arrived in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver and settled in a modest convent with a small school, which they called “Gethsemane”, meaning “olive grove”.

At the time, education for girls was not a given, but the sisters set out to change this. Shortly afterwards, they opened a boarding school and expanded the facility with more classrooms, dormitories and a new chapel. This was the first, but not the last, expansion of the Ursuline Institute.

International reputation and prestige

The institute’s reputation soon attracted students from all over Belgium and abroad. The school developed into a sprawling complex on a ten-hectare site that included classrooms, workrooms, dormitories, a bathhouse with its own water tower and a park with unique rustic concrete elements.

The well-kept surroundings, the well-preserved buildings and the high-quality education on offer helped to cement the institute’s reputation far beyond Belgium’s borders. Around 1900, almost a quarter of the student body came from countries such as Italy, Spain, Romania, Panama, Brazil, Australia and Turkey.

The sisters decided to build an impressive Art Nouveau reception area, the winter garden. This architectural decision attracted the attention of wealthy families worldwide. Complemented by a piano gallery, a convent church and an English garden, the institute remained on the international map. The sisters implemented the ideas of the international movement “l’art à l’école” by creating a stimulating environment for young girls. Symbolic decorations were placed throughout the institute to encourage schoolgirls to learn by observing and reading.

Reconstruction and protection after the First World War

With the outbreak of the First World War, all 700 schoolgirls had to be sent home. Those who could not go home were evacuated to the coast together with the sisters.

The Belgian Red Cross converted parts of the school complex into a hospital and military hospital. The institute, which was close to the front, suffered severe damage, with several parts of the building burning down completely. Nevertheless, the church and the intricate winter garden remained largely intact.

After the war, the sisters planned to rebuild the school to make it larger and more functional. They turned the building a quarter of a turn to provide better protection for the winter garden and the adjoining piano gallery.

Change and reform after the Second World War

The Second World War once again brought destruction to the region, but the Ursuline Institute got off relatively lightly and the damage was quickly repaired.

After the liberation in September 1944, part of the school served as a military hospital for Allied soldiers for a few months.

After the war, the number of pupils rose to 950 and the education on offer was continuously expanded and modernized. From the 1950s onwards, the Belgian education system underwent several reforms. The introduction of Dutch as the language of instruction influenced the school’s international reputation. During this time, the boarding school was closed and only the school continued to operate. Boys are now also accepted at the institute.

New challenges

In 1987, the winter garden was listed as a historical monument due to its exceptional historical, artistic and architectural value. The decision not to demolish the building proved to be the right one, as the official recognition led to a change in perception of the site.

What is Art Nouveau?

Art Nouveau, also known internationally as “nieuwe kunst” (Dutch), “Modernismo” (Spanish) and “Stile Liberty” (Italian), was a formative art movement that established itself in Europe at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Each region developed its own interpretation of the style. In Belgium, Art Nouveau gained particular importance through Victor Horta, Henry van de Velde and Paul Hankar, who created impressive buildings and pieces of furniture in this style.

A central feature of Art Nouveau is the use of curved lines and ornamentation inspired by flora and fauna. This aesthetic movement spanned various art disciplines, including architecture, painting, graphic design and applied arts. Elements such as ornate stained glass windows, curved ironwork and detailed mosaics and tiles characterized the architecture of the era.

Today, the art movement is still admired for its elegance and originality. Many of the buildings and works of art from this period continue to attract many enthusiasts.

Visit to the historic Ursuline Institute

From the parking lot, you enter the building through an inconspicuous entrance. If you would like to experience the enchanting world of the former girls’ boarding school in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, you must book your entrance ticket online in advance. Only a limited number of visitors are admitted at any one time, which is a good thing, so you can really enjoy the tour!

The winter garden and the rooms that can be visited today have only been open to the public again since 2023 after a lengthy renovation. A new “experience trail” has been created, which uses multimedia applications to make the history and architecture tangible.

We took the tour with the help of an audio guide. Although this is not available in German, the English explanations are really easy to understand. Almost the entire text is told from the perspective of a girl who attended the girls’ boarding school as a pupil. From the first day to the experiences on site, the story captivated me. It was almost like a historical novel, but one that depicted real life at the boarding school.

We begin the tour in two stylishly furnished rooms. Solid and heavy-looking furniture conveys an impression of down-to-earthness. On some of the walls, I discover beautiful murals that clearly refer to the ecclesiastical background. In the middle of the first room – and it looks like a foreign object – is a modern multimedia table. Here I can find out additional information about the building with the help of an audio guide.

I have to admit, the first rooms were interesting, but I was drawn to the real highlight of the tour.

Winter garden of the Ursulines

Walking through a narrow corridor that leads to the rear entrance of the Ursuline winter garden, I reach an inconspicuous open door. One step later, I am rooted to the spot and hardly know where to look first.

In front of me are palm trees and other warmth-loving plants, small chairs and tables invite you to linger and above me rises a magnificent lead glass dome, the likes of which I have never seen before. The light shimmers through the colored glass and no matter where I look, it seems almost magical and always looks different.

It seems to be spring all year round in the winter garden. The temperatures are relatively constant and the potted plants, some of which are quite large, a splashing fountain and artistically crafted statues give the room a Mediterranean flair.

This is reinforced by the plants and animals depicted in the glasswork. The warm light created by the colorful glass completes the spring feeling. Between the plants, my gaze falls on the walls. Beautiful murals in warm colors can be seen on the wall tiles.

It is only late that my gaze falls on the historic tiled floor on which I am standing. It’s almost a shame that my gaze is drawn almost magically to the stained glass windows – the floor is also worth seeing. During the restoration of the complex, each tile was removed individually and restored to its former glory. These tiles are also one of the reasons why the temperatures in the Ursuline winter garden are very pleasant due to the heat-retaining material.

The winter garden was built in 1900 and it is still not known who the architect is. The Ursulines had the colorful lead glass dome built to give their boarding school a very special space. With this then modern and extravagant style, they wanted to attract wealthy families who wanted to place their daughters in the hands of the Ursuline school. It seems to have worked. The room formed the heart of the boarding school and was primarily used as a reception area for international guests of the Ursuline boarding school. However, it also served as an impressive venue for receptions and the presentation of certificates at the students’ graduation.

The winter garden has been a listed building since 1987. It is still used by the school today, so you can sit down on a chair and admire this incredible interplay of different elements.

What else is there to see?

With the firm intention of stopping by this oasis again at the end of the tour, we continued on our way. There is still so much to discover.

The rooms that are visited today during the tour with the audio guide are connected to each other by corridors, some of which are quite long. One of these corridors has left a lasting impression on me. The Empire Corridor is a corridor flooded with light. The windows here are particularly beautifully designed and the decorative elements etched into the glass immediately caught my eye.

We enter a room called the Alpine Room. This is where the schoolgirls met their parents when they came to visit. On the walls are the murals that gave the room its name: Mountain landscapes representing all the Swiss regions. I wonder why this theme was chosen for a boarding school in Belgium? The room is furnished with dignified salon furniture, which doesn’t make me feel very comfortable. But that was certainly not what the nuns wanted. They wanted the girls to show their parents in an accurate way that they are being educated and learning to move in society.

The school’s original neoclassical chapel was soon no longer sufficient due to the growing number of pupils. Today, concerts are held here. I particularly like the folding chairs on which the nuns once sat or stood. During devotions, there were always long passages where they had to stand. Small supports helped them to get through this time. Each nun had her own fixed place. There are small flaps on the seats behind which they could place their personal Bible/hymn books.

Another very remarkable room houses the school’s natural history collection. For example, animal models are displayed in large glass cabinets. Some of these come from the Ursulian collection, so they are quite old.

Before we return to the Ursuline conservatory, we pass through the former dining hall of the boarding school. This is also where the audio tour ends.

What a visit!

I honestly don’t have the words to describe the Ursuline Winter Garden as it deserves. For me, it is one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau architectural sites I have ever seen. It’s definitely worth a visit and you should plan some time to discover everything at your leisure.

Visitor information

Address

Bosstraat 9
2861 Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver
Belgium

Website

Good to know

The visit to the Ursuline conservatory was part of a press trip with Visit Mechelen .