St. Anthony Gasthuis Gate (Poort St. Anthony Gasthuis)

About this artwork.

A sandstone gate provides access to St. Anthony Gasthuis. On either side hang two sculpted garlands of fruit. Above the gate, there is a brick with the inscription, referring to the renovation in 1695 and the guardians at that time. On the left and right-hand side of the facing brick are an old man and woman. They are the “old castellans and the imprisoned of the city” who were given shelter here. The entirety is crowned by a so-called tympanum, decorated with goblet-like sculptures.
 
The guest house was probably founded at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The castle of the East Frisian Count Edzard, which had been demolished shortly before, served as a base. It must have been located about where the police station currently lies. The wooden frame of the writing room and library was dragged to the other side of the street in 1517. Over time, the guest house not only provided accommodation for the elderly, but also for plague sufferers and the mentally ill. A lucrative business because the cost of the patients was an important part of the income. On Sunday afternoon, the madhouse, the part where the mentally ill were housed, also became a tourist attraction.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  maker onbekend

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1664

• Art type
  Facing brick, Wall sculpture

• Material
  Sandstone

• Dimensions
  h 6,00 x b 3,00 m