About
On a corner in the Sint-Anna Quarter of Bruges stands a group of statues depicting Jesus on the cross, the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, and a young girl. Dating from 1760, these statues commemorate the miracle survival of Annatje van 't Pitje (Little Anna of the pit).
Annatje was a young orphan who lived near here in Bruges but was disliked by many children in the neighborhood. One Christmas Eve, she was sent out by her foster mother Collette to fetch some water from the local well, which once stood on this corner. Upon getting there, four men grabbed her and threw her into the well.
Collette and her neighbors went out to search for Annatje. They soon realized that she had fallen into the well, but were unable to retrieve her. Most were sure that she was dead, however Collette prostrated on her knees and began to pray to the statue of Mary across the street.
Just as she returned, the neighbors had realized that Annatje was in fact alive at the bottom of the well! A thick layer of ice had in fact cushioned her fall, leaving her unconscious but alive. Believing this to be a miracle, Bruges residents erected these statues in honor of Annatje, which have long outlasted the original well itself.
