Tourists Sightseeing In St. John`s Hospital Courtyard Bruges Belgium Editorial Photo

Entrance of old St. John`s Hospital-Sint Janshospitaal building.Hospital of St. John is an 11th-century hospital in Bruges, Belgium. Located next to the Church of Our Lady, it is one of Europe`s oldest surviving hospital buildings.The hospital grew during the Middle Ages and was a place where sick pilgrims and travellers were cared for. The site was later expanded with the building of a monastery and convent. In the 19th century, further construction led to a hospital with eight wards around a central building.Today part of the hospital complex holds the popular Hans Memling museum, named for the German-born Early Netherlandish painter, where a number of works, such as triptychs are displayed,as well as hospital records, medical instruments and other works of art.The hospital site is also used as a congress and exhibition centre, the site Oud Sint-Jan.