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The St. Agnes Beguinage in Sint-Truiden was built in the mid-13th century. Beguinage is an architectural complex which was created to house beguines: lay religious women who lived in community without taking vows or retiring from the world. In its heyday there were more than 200 beguines. Most houses were built during the 17th or 18th century when the original half-timbered houses were replaced due great fire.
The Romanesque-Gothic church of Beguinage has an impressive series of murals and paintings on pillars dating from the 13th to the 17th century. They witness unique religious belief in the Middle Ages. The organ (1644) is considered the most homogeneous and most complete in Belgium.
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.