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This museum is located in a rather unusual location – a hospital – the St. John's Hospital complex to be precise. The old infirmary and the old pharmacy can still be visited and in the former chapel, you will delight in viewing six masterpieces by Hans Memling. Of particular interest is the painting of the Shrine of St. Ursula. The legend of St. Ursula revolves around the story of Ursula, a princess from Brittany in France, who was asked by the King of England to marry his son. She accepted only if she were allowed to make a pilgrimage to Rome with 11,000 virgins. They were received by the Pope and on their way back were stopped in Cologne by the Huns and killed because they did not want to abandon their Christian faith.

Memling is noted to be one of the most important Flemish primitives and was most likely influenced by the painting school of Cologne and by the painter Rogier van der Weyden in Brussels. He died in Bruges on August the 11th, 1494 and was buried in the local St.Gilles church.  The reason his paintings were made for St. John's Hospital comes from a legend about how he arrived in Bruges. It seems he may have been a soldier in the army of the Duke of Burgundy and was severely wounded in battle. When he arrived in Bruges he was taken care of by the sisters and brothers of St. John's Hospital. To reward them, he made the paintings – the very same paintings you will still see to this day in the Memling Museum.

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