In the heart of Anderlecht, the gardens of the Erasmus House offer a haven of peace already appreciated in the 16th century. They adjoin a Gothic building (1450-1515), one of the oldest in Brussels, which owes its name and fame to the humanist’s stay there in 1521. In 1987, landscape architect René Pechère designed a medicinal garden, a “botanical” portrait of Erasmus inspired by the medieval enclosed garden and by writings on the benefits of plants. He brought together a true collection of simples worthy of the greatest herbalist. In 2000, Benoît Fondu designed a “philosophical garden” inspired by Erasmus’s writings, his annotated Adages and the landscapes encountered during his many journeys.
Nearby lies the smallest beguinage in Belgium, in the shadow of the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter and Saint Guido. Its inner garden, with walnut tree, well and small houses from the 15th to 18th centuries, forms a unique landscape. The route offers a historical look at places dedicated to freedom and care, long before today’s notions of “safe place” and “brave place”, whose spirit they seem to continue.