The Poptagasthuis is a ''

hofje A (diminutive of 'hof', 'court') is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. have existed since the Middle Ages. A provided housing for elderly people (mostly women). They were privately funded, and served as a form of ...

'' (

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

) in Marsum in the Dutch province of Fryslân. It is a ''

rijksmonument A (, ) 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 had 61,822 l ...

''.

History

Dr.

Henricus Popta Henricus Popta (3 May 1635 – 7 November 1712) was a Dutch lawyer. Early life He was the second-oldest child. His older brother died before his birth. Born poor, he became rich. His father, Tjebbe Jacobs Popta, was an alcoholic. He was b ...

, a successful lawyer, started the project in 1710, and construction started in 1711, funded by Popta. At Popta's death in 1712

Poptaslot Poptaslot or Heringastate is a ''stins''—a type of luxurious house often used by and/or built for the nobility of Frisia, many of which are built to look like castles (the term literally means "stone-house")—in the Dutch province of Friesland ...

, his home located to the south, was left to guardians. The guardians inaugurated the almshouse on 13 May 1713, half a year after Popta's death. The building originally had 26 one-room apartments around the courtyard. The passage in the middle of the east wing on the Hegedyk has an entrance with a neck gable. The entrance frame in

Louis XIV style The Louis XIV style or ''Louis Quatorze'' ( , ), also called French classicism, was the style of architecture and decorative arts intended to glorify King Louis XIV and his reign. It featured majesty, harmony and regularity. It became the official ...

with Corinthian

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

is crowned by two allegorical female figures and the arms of Popta. The short wings on the east and west side have neck gables with claw pieces. It has Flemish style frontage. In 1852 a line of houses was built to the north, along the Buorren. A sandstone gate (1713) with Corinthian pilasters, festoons and decorative vases gives access from these houses to the courtyard apartments. In 1952 the one-room apartments were converted to larger living units. and the washing house was converted into a kettle house. The east wing has a "gentlemen's room" which is also a museum. The almshouse is still run by 4 guardians, in accordance with Popta’s testament. Maintenance is still paid with Popta's legacy. Popta wanted the almshouse to be a safe haven for poor women, where they would be housed, clothed and fed as long as they lived quiet, modest and peaceful lives. Popta wanted his almshouse to remain open until the Christian end times, but he wanted it to be open for women of every religion, though he did not explicitly mention Judaism, while mentioning all other religions he knew. This was important at the time, as parishes of non-state-endorsed religions were not allowed to own properties. It was intended primarily for elderly women.

History

References

Further reading