Leiden almshouses.... St. Anna almshouses The St. Anna almshouses were built at the wishes of Willem Claesz., a rich brewer. In 1487 he bought a housing complex on the Hooigracht. He died in 1491, after which his three children brought the almshouses into realization. However, the building of the chapel was a thorn in the flesh for the canon of St. Pancras, who fulfilled the priestly functions in the nearby Hooglandse Church. It was not until 1507 that an agreement was arrived at. Thus it was decided that no burials could take place in the Chapel and only people living in the almshouses (13 women) were allowed to attend mass there. At the end of the inner yard, the Chapel can be seen, one of the few houses of prayer which survived the 16th century Iconoclastic Fury and the Reformation. The furnishings and fittings have remained in relatively good condition. In 1982/83 the almshouses underwent interior modernization.
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