The Erasmus House (; ), also known as the Erasmus House Museum (; ), is a museum in

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

, a municipality of

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium, devoted to the Dutch

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

writer and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Erasmus of Rotterdam Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and theologian, educationalist, satirist, and p ...

. The house, of late

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

or early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style, was built between 1460 and 1515 under the tutelage of Peter Wijchmans,

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

and schoolmaster of the

chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...

of Anderlecht, and a friend of Erasmus. Erasmus stayed in the house for five months from May to October 1521, working on his translation of his ''

Novum Testamentum ''Novum Testamentum'' is an academic journal covering various aspects of "the New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Je ...

'' from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

into

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. The house was converted to a museum in 1931. Its garden is split into two parts that both try to adhere to the spirit of Erasmus: one through art and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and the other, designed by the landscape architect René Pechère, through typical

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against h ...

from the 16th century. The complex was designated a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

in 1938. It is served by Saint-Guidon/Sint-Guido metro station on line 5 of the

Brussels Metro The Brussels Metro ( ; ) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three '' premetro'' lines. The metro-grade lines are M1, M2, M5, and M6 wi ...

History

Construction ()

The red-bricked building known today as the Erasmus House was constructed in stages between 1460 and 1515 in late

or early

style. This property was once the country estate of the family of Brussels bankers and

money changer Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: med ...

s Suweel. At that time, Anderlecht was still a village on the outskirts of Brussels counting barely 300 inhabitants. Enclosed by a brick wall, the house consists of several wings. The oldest part, high, narrow, with a gently sloping roof, was built around 1460 by Peeter Wijchmans, official money changer of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the French Community of Belgium, the ...

. The long wing to its right was built in 1515, as indicated by the

wall anchors A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick walls, ...

on the façade, for ,

and schoolmaster of the

of Anderlecht (which was attached to the Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Guido from 1507), who had probably inherited the property. The date of construction of the building's lowest part is unknown; however, it is known that it was used as a stable at the end of the 16th century. It now houses the museum's reception. The ensemble is preceded by an interior courtyard. A man of culture, Canon Wijchmans gladly welcomed scholars and intellectuals to his residence in Anderlecht, among them the famous Dutch

writer and

with whom a friendship was established. It is possible that Erasmus, a great traveller, stayed several times with his friend Wijchmans, but it is from his five-month stay from May to October 1521 that traces remain.

Visit of Erasmus (1521)

Departing from the nearby

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

town of

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

, where he lectured at the

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, Erasmus arrived in Anderlecht in May 1521. This move was first of all made for health reasons as he suffered from persistent fevers, and as he wrote himself, believed the country life would do him good. In September 1521, he sent these words to the French scholar and humanist

Guillaume Budé Guillaume Budé (; Onomastic Latinisation, Latinized as Guilielmus Budaeus; January 26, 1467 – August 20, 1540) was a French scholar and humanist. He was involved in the founding of Collegium Trilingue, which later became the Collège de Fra ...

: There were also political and religious reasons behind his decision;

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

had just been

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

(1520) and the reformer's sympathisers were hunted down. In addition, Erasmus's attitude towards the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

ecclesiastical institution aroused strong criticism at the time from traditional theologians. His books and ideas contributed to the blossoming

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

by advocating a personal faith and the active practice of

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

values, though he never became a Protestant himself and died within the Catholic faith. "He tried to remain in the fold of the old

oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

Church, after having damaged it seriously, and renounced the rotestantReformation, and to a certain extent even Humanism, after having furthered both with all his strength."

Johan Huizinga Johan Huizinga (; 7 December 1872 – 1 February 1945) was a Dutch historian and one of the founders of modern cultural history. Life Born in Groningen as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of physiology, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two ...

, ''Erasmus and the Age of Reformation'' (tr. F. Hopman and Barbara Flower; New York: Harper and Row, 1924), p. 190. Erasmus thus considered it prudent to move away from the University of Leuven, a place of passionate

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

debates, for protection, by getting closer to the court of the young emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, established at the

Coudenberg Palace The Palace of Coudenberg (; ) was a royal residence situated on the Coudenberg or Koudenberg (; Dutch for "Cold Hill"), a hill in what is today the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. For nearly 700 years, the Castle and then Palace of Coudenb ...

in the heart of

, to whom he had been appointed adviser a few years earlier. During his time in Anderlecht, Erasmus worked on a copy of his ''

'' with a view to editing a new translation from

into

. For the same reasons of personal safety, however, Erasmus left Anderlecht for

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

in October 1521, after just five months.

Later history

In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Erasmus House became a civilian residence before it was purchased, in 1931, by the local council, which turned it into a museum dedicated to the great Renaissance figure. Following a restoration campaign led by the architect Charles Van Elst in a spirit of the purest

historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

, the Erasmus House Museum was inaugurated on 24 September 1932. The house was classified as a

on 25 October 1938, and the garden was inscribed on the safeguard list as a site in 1998.

Museum

The museum is dedicated to Erasmus's life and work and evokes the intellectual world of the

through a collection of artworks presented in an interior reconstituted using Gothic and Renaissance furniture. The core of the collection is made up of numerous 16th-century books, retracing the thought of this humanist who deeply marked European civilisation. In addition to an important collection of Erasmus's writings, the museum also houses paintings by

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; ; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He ...

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

Cornelis Massijs Cornelis MassijsAlternative spellings of family name: Massys, Matsijs, Matsys, Messijs, Messys, Metsijs, Metsys (1508, Antwerp – c. 1556, unknown), was a Flemish Renaissance painter, draughtsman and engraver, mainly known for his landscapes a ...

and

Joos van Cleve Joos van Cleve (; also Joos van der Beke; c. 1485–1490 – 1540/1541) was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the tr ...

, as well as 17th-century murals. Furthermore, there are various sculptures, historical furniture, as well as a study centre. Special exhibitions and cultural events also take place there on a regular basis. The museum is open every day except Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On the first Sunday of every month, admission to the museum is free.

Rhetoric Room

Located on the ground floor, the

Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

Room is the place where, according to tradition, Erasmus received visitors. It is adorned with period furniture, as well as the large painting ''Last Stay of Erasmus in Basel in 1535'' (1907) by , where an elderly Erasmus is seen listened to by other humanists and scientists gathered in the office of the printer

Johann Froben Johann Froben, in Latin: Johannes Frobenius (and combinations), (c. 1460 – 27 October 1527) was a famous printer, publisher and learned Renaissance humanist in Basel. He was a close friend of Erasmus and cooperated closely with Hans Holbein t ...

. Above the fireplace hangs a painting of

Adrian VI Pope Adrian VI (; ; ; ), born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens (2 March 1459 – 14 September 1523), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 January 1522 until his death on 14 September 1523. The only Dutchman to bec ...

, canon of the chapter of Anderlecht, tutor to the future

and the only pope from the Netherlands.

Work cabinet

A room overlooking the garden, which was Erasmus's study. A seat and

writing desk A desk or bureau is a piece of furniture with a flat table (furniture), table-style work surface used in a school, office, home or the like for academic, professional or domestic activities such as reading (activity), reading, writing, or using ...

recreate the atmosphere of the time. The work table is not that of Erasmus since the latter wrote standing on a

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

or dictated a lot of his texts to ''famulis'' (i.e. secretaries). A series of portraits of the humanist have been collected there, including famous paintings by

Quentin Matsys Quentin Matsys () (1466–1530) was a Flemish painter in the Early Netherlandish tradition. He was born in Leuven. According to tradition, he trained as an ironsmith before becoming a painter. Matsys was active in Antwerp for over 20 years, cre ...

, Hans Holbein and Albrecht Dürer. Erasmus's correspondence shows that he was in contact with the great personalities of his time:

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, theologian, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VII ...

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: People Kings and emperors * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708–1765), reigned 1745–1765 * Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor ...

, and

, to name a few.

Renaissance Room

The Renaissance Room, lined with

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

leather with gold leaf prints, is adorned with

Flemish school Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century, gradually becoming distinct from the painting of the rest of the Low Countries, especially the modern Netherlands. In the early period, up to about 1520, the painti ...

paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries, such as ones by Hieronymus Bosch, Quentin Matsys, and

Pieter Huys Pieter Huys (c.1519 – c.1584) was a Flemish Renaissance painter. He is known of his early life, and though he was mostly active in Antwerp, his place of birth and death is not certain. He became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 154 ...

. In the middle of the ceiling hangs an impressive

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

chandelier. The space between the windows of the room has been gradually reduced in order to give the room an appearance of perspective (clearly visible from the outside).

White Room

The large upstairs room, called the "White Room" or "

Fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es Room", now painted purple, may have been the dining room. The original editions of Erasmus's books, arranged according to the printers to whom they had been entrusted, were displayed there in showcases. They have now been replaced with copies. The first showcase exhibits numerous editions and translations of ''

In Praise of Folly ''In Praise of Folly'', also translated as ''The Praise of Folly'' ( or ), is an essay written in Latin in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in June 1511. Inspired by previous works of the Italian Renaissance humanism, hu ...

'', the second one editions of the ''

Colloquies ''Colloquies'' (Latin title ''Colloquia familiaria'') is one of the many works of the "Prince of Christian Humanists", Desiderius Erasmus. First published in 1518 as Latin dialogues for schoolboy exercises, the work expanded over the following d ...

''. Another showcase contains books redacted by ecclesiastical censorship. Using the three classical languages in some of his writings (

and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

) Erasmus worked with the best printers of his time, including Johann Froben of

, and personally revised the printing proofs. An imposing Flemish copper chandelier with a double row of lights also hung in the middle of the room. Pieces of frescoes, which probably lined the top of the room, have also been saved. File:ERASMUS HOUSE AT ANDERLECHT INTERIOR VIEW.jpg, Erasmus's work cabinet before refurbishment File:Erasmus House 01.jpg, Writing desk File:Erasmus House 02.jpg, Renaissance Room

Gardens

The gardens of the Erasmus House date from different periods. The

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

s from the beginning of the 20th century were converted into a garden by the architect Charles Van Elst and hosted the Belgian Outdoor Sculpture Biennials (1946–1966).

Medicinal garden

In 1987, the landscape designer created a garden of

. In this garden, inspired by the medieval

walled garden A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate c ...

and encapsulating the true botanical spirit of the humanist, around a hundred plants known to 16th-century doctors are cultivated.

Philosophical garden

In 2000, the landscape architect Benoit Fondu created a philosophical garden. This garden is located beyond the medicinal garden and is inspired by the conference ''The religious banquet'' written by Erasmus after his stay in Anderlecht (1521). A series of cartographic beds have been set up, in which visitors can admire the plants and flowers that Erasmus contemplated during his numerous travels. This garden also houses works created by contemporary artists including Catherine Beaugrand, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, as well as Perejaume and Bob Verschueren. The garden furniture and signage were made by Pierre Portier. File:Erasmus House 08.jpg, Medicinal garden by René Pechère File:GezondheidstuinErasmus.jpg, Medicinal garden File:Filosofische tuin.jpg, Philosophical garden by Benoît Fondu File:Erasmus House 11.jpg, Philosophical garden

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Jean-Pierre Vanden Branden, ''La Maison d'Érasme. Anderlecht'' (in French), collection ''Musea nostra'', Brussels : Crédit communal, s.d. * Kathleen Leys, ''La Maison d'Erasme : un musée, un centre d'études, un jardin philosophique/Het Erasmushuis : een museum, een studiecentrum, een filosofische tuin'' (in French/Dutch), Anderlecht, Éd. de la Maison d'Érasme, 2007

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Museums in Brussels Anderlecht Protected heritage sites in Brussels