Rusthuis voor Bejaarden Sint-Antonius
THE ABANDONED CARE HOME IN BELGIUM
‘Rusthuis voor Bejaarden Sint-Antonius’ is an abandoned catholic old folks home in Grembergen. The site was abandoned in 2006 and eventually demolished in 2009.
In 1863 the first buildings were built on this site, a monastery with a girls school. Both were demolished in 1884. Also a kindergarden was built in 1871 that was demolished after 100 years of use.
The buildings I explored during my visit, were built on the grounds of the old monastery. This new building, a convent, eventually became a home for the old aged of the village in 1951. The nuns of the order ‘Zusters Kindsheids Jesu’ that lived in the convent also became the nurses of the rest-home. The last sisters left on September 6, 2008.
Church
The front building has many small rooms along a beautiful hallways. At the second floor there is an entrance to a chapel that was built in 1901. The chapel was built in neo-Gothic style with both 11 early 19th century stained glass windows with angels and 15 stained glass windows from 1955 designed by Annie Rigelle. The buildings are touched by time, but are not vandalized. The back of the building is in a bad state, the kitchen and technical department are ruined by the weather and lack of upkeep.
Since the buildings have been abandoned, the nurses live in a special part of the new rest-home, just a couple of meters further down the road. The site was demolished in 2009. I took these photos of the ‘Rusthuis voor Bejaarden Sint-Antonius’ in 2007. Follow this link for more abandoned care homes.
