Location of the Tournaisis
The
Tournaisis,
or
Tournai
(Flemish:
Doornik
), a territory in the
Low Countries
in present-day
Belgium
, is one of Europe's oldest town centres.
[1]
Located in the
Wallonia
region of Belgium on the
Scheldt
River (French:
L'Escaut
), northwest of
Mons
, Tournai residents are primarily French-speaking. It is home to some of the oldest and best preserved medieval architecture in Europe, notably the
Cathedrale Notre Dame
and the
Belfry of Tournai
, a belltower built in 1188, both of which are designated
UNESCO World Heritage sites
. The River Scheldt's access to the sea made Tournai a trading hub in the
Middle Ages
.
History
[
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]
Tournai was important to the
Romans
since the time of
Saint Piat
in the
3rd century
, and it has origins that date back to 60 AD.
[1]
It has changed hands many times since. Tournai was seized by the
Salic Franks
in the 5th century under the Frankish king
Clovis I
, the first king of the Franks. It became the capital of the
Merovingian
territory.
From the 860s, it was largely controlled by the
counts of Flanders
until France seized it in 1188. Soon after, construction of the Belfry of Tournai began.
Despite French control, Tournai retained a form of autonomy under the French. In 1513, it fell to
England
but was returned to France in 1518, and in 1521 was taken by
Charles V
, who attached it to the
Netherlands
, then a
Spanish Habsburg
province. From 1543 until the 1560s, it was a favoured locations for anti-Spanish rebels until
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
recaptured it for Spain after the siege of 1581. In 1667, it was taken by
Louis XIV
and later transferred to the
Austrian Habsburgs
by the
Treaty of Utrecht
(1713).
Recaptured
by the French in 1745, Austria regained control in 1748. It was again French from 1794 to 1814.
[2]
Tournai was the site of a dramatic liberation during World War I, in 1918. The
German Sixth Army
moved its headquarters from
Lille
to Tournai in September 1918, destroying bridges and setting up a lookout point at Tournai's famous belltower. Many of its residents evacuated. Following British shelling that fall, British troops retook Tournai.
[3]
A statue honoring Tournai's greatest heroine of the war, the Belgian spy
Gabrielle Petit
, stands today near the St. Brice church.
Main sights to see
[
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]
Tournai is best known for
The Belfry of Tournai
, a freestanding belfry, or
bell tower
(72 metres, or 236 ft, in height), that is one of the oldest and best preserved belfries in Belgium.
[4]
It was built in 1188.
[5]
Featuring a 256-step stairway, it is part of a set of
Belfries of Belgium and France
, and in 1999 it was registered on the
UNESCO World Heritage List
for its architecture and for the importance in the rise of municipal power in Europe.
[6]
Over the centuries since, it has served as a watch tower, a clock tower, a place of announcements, a stronghold for town charters, and a prison. A fire damaged the building in 1391, but it was later repaired. The structure remained largely the same over the following centuries, with the exception of occasional restorations and additions.
Cathedrale de Notre Dame
is an ornate cathedral of the 11th and 12th centuries, that is considered one of the finest in Europe. With five towers, a Gothic choir, and 13th-century reliquary shrines, it houses one of the most valuable collections of church treasures in Belgium.
[1]
[7]
Grand Place
is a town square, bordered by 17th-century buildings. A statue of
Marie-Christine de Lalaing
, a local 16th-century heroine, stands in the center of the square.
[1]
The Bridge of Holes
(
Pont des Trous)
, a medieval bridge over the River Scheldt named for its three arches, was built between 1281 and 1304. It is one of only three remaining 13th-century military bridges in the world. It was partially reconstructed in the 20th century to repair damage it took from by British bombardment during World War II. In 2019, it was widened to allow the passage of larger ships through the city.
[8]
Musee des Beaux Arts
, or Musee Horta, is a museum designed by Belgium's Art Nouveau maestro
Victor Horta
. Completed in 1928, it includes from the 15 century on, including works by Monet, Manet, Seurat, and many of the great Belgian painters.
[9]
[1]
Musee de Folklore
is a 23-room museum housed in
Le Mason Tournaisienne
that depicts daily life in the history of Tournai.
[1]
Musee de Tapisserie
is a museum celebrating the region's history of tapestry, notably from the 15th and 16th centuries.
[1]
Musee des Arts de la Marionnette
, located in a 19th century mansion, is a museum with a collection of over 2,500 puppets from around the world.
[1]
Musee de Archeologie
is a museum with archeological remains dating to the Gallo-Roman and Frankish periods.
[1]
Art and culture
[
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]
Tournai was notable for tapestry and copperware in the Middle Ages, and for carpet weaving in the 18th century.
Quarrying is important locally, and steel, leather goods, and hosiery are manufactured.
Tournai was also renowned for a medieval school of sculptors. It was one of the great centres of
Early Netherlandish
(or Flemish) painting.
Robert Campin
settled there and attracted students, including
Rogier van der Weyden
and
Jacques Daret
.well as for the painter Rogier van der Weyden.
It also produced the important
Franco-Flemish
composers
Pierre de la Rue
and
Marbrianus de Orto
.
Geography
[
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]
The Tournaisis was situated between two larger neighbours: the
County of Flanders
, and the
County of Hainaut
. Its origins lie in a Roman
pagus
within the
civitas
of the
Menapii
, of which it became the chief city in late Roman times. It had some independence and power in the Middle Ages because it became the seat of the
Bishopric of Tournai
.
The territory, like that of Flanders, but unlike neighbouring Hainaut, was part of early medieval
West Francia
, which evolved into France. However, this rule was not always effective. It came under French rule during the reign of
Philip IV of France
, and remained under French control until it was
conquered
by
Emperor Charles V
in 1521. It remained part of the
Habsburg Netherlands
until 1789, eventually becoming part of modern
Belgium
.
The Tournaisis was considered part of the
Seventeen Provinces
.
References
[
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]