The Holy Spirit Orphanage (Dutch: ''Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees- en Kinderhuis'') was an

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

in the city of

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is a

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

located on Hooglandse Kerkgracht 17B.

Origin

The so-called ‘Heilige Geest’ (Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit) was the name of a

charitable institution A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, originating in

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, which cared for the poor and needy. In the Dutch city of Leiden the ‘Heilige Geest’ was responsible for regular distribution of food, clothing, and small amounts of coin money. It began in Leiden shortly before 1316 with a group of ‘Heilige Geestmeesters’ (Masters of the Holy Spirit) connected with the Leiden parish of Saint Peter.

Orphanage

Around the year 1450, the institution purchased a former mansion on the Breestraat, opposite the street currently known as the Papengracht. Initially the building served as an

office An office is a space where an Organization, organization's employees perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize objects and Goals, plans, action theory, goals of the organizati ...

and

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

. In 1491 the building was repurposed and became a home for needy and parentless children. This marked the establishment of the ‘Heilige Geest- of Arme Weeshuis’. Soon, the number of children housed in the orphanage exceeded capacity, forcing the Heilige Geestmeesters to look for a larger building. A new accommodation was found in 1583 in the building of the Vrouwengasthuis (woman’s hospital) on the Hooglandsekerkgracht. The Heilige Geest Orphanage would remain at this location for almost four centuries. The building complex would undergo three major

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

s in this period. The most important of these took place between 1774 and 1778. The merging of the nearby Arme Kinderhuis (Poor Children’s Home) with the Heilige Geest Orphanage necessitated this renovation. The names of the respective institutions were also joined in the unwieldy designation ‘Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees en Kinderhuis’. It was by this name that the orphanage was known well into the twentieth century.

Present day

The Heilige Geest Orphanage remained on the Hooglandse kerkgracht until 1961, still carrying out its mission to care for Leiden’s poor and needy children. The institution became a

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

in 1979 now known as ‘Stichting Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees- en Kinderhuis te Leiden’, caring for the poor and destitute youth in a wider sense. In 1968 the building became a

, a Dutch national heritage site. At the end of the twentieth century, to further promote the study of its history, the foundation commissioned a new inventory of the

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

s of the Heilige Geest Orphanage, which dates back to the fourteenth century, as well as a study of the building history and the realization of the score of the ''Music for Christmas 1796'' composed by Christian Friedrich Ruppe for the mixed youth choir of the orphanage.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* P.J. Blok, ''Geschiedenis eener Hollandsche stad'', Den Haag, 1912, 1916 * D.E.H. de Boer, ‘Te vongelinc geleit. Sociale en economische problemen in Leiden aan het eind van de middeleeuwen’, in: ''Leidse facetten. Tien studies over Leidse geschiedenis'', Zwolle, 1982, p. 7-2 * J.F. Dröge, ''‘Waar de wezen in de gevel staan’. De bouwgeschiedenis van het Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees- en Kinderhuis aan de Hooglandse kerkgracht te Leiden'', Leiden, 1990. * S.W.M.A. den Haan, ''Inventaris van het archief van het Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees- en Kinderhuis te Leiden 1334-1979'', Leiden, 1990 (preface). * Chr. Ligtenberg, ''De armezorg te Leiden tot het einde van de 16e eeuw'', Den Haag, 1908 * L.G. L P ole ''Catalogus van de stukken en boeken in het archief van het Heilige Geest- of Arme Wees- en Kinderhuis te Leiden'', Leiden, 1902 (preface) {{coord, 52, 09, 32.7, N, 4, 29, 39, E, display=title, region:NL_type:landmark_source:nlwiki Buildings and structures in Leiden Rijksmonuments in Leiden