After a number of beguines voluntarily settled in a new beguinage at Our Lady Ter Hoyen, the conflict between the Saint Elisabeth beguinage and the town administration dominated by the liberal party became intense. Thanks to financial sponsoring by the Duke of Arenberg (also known as the Prinz von Recklinghausen) in two years' time (1872–1874) a new beguinage was built at the then still independent village of Sint-Amandsberg. On September 29, 1874, more than 600 beguines left Ghent for Sint-Amandsberg, in carriages provided by the Ghent Roman Catholic aristocracy.