Nivelles, a well-kept secret

On Friday March 13, we visit a little-known town in Wallonia and yet one that has a fascinating and important history:  the town of Nivelles. Its founding as a settlement goes back to 4,000BC when the land started to be cleared for agriculture. Later, it became  part of the Austrasian Frankish kingdom. However, its importance really grew from the abbey founded in the seventh century A.D. by Itra, the widow of Pippin of Landen, who had been Mayor of the Palace (or Major Domo).

Itra’s daughter, Gertrude, the first abbess, was venerated on her death and the huge Romanesque church that still stands today was dedicated in 1046 in the presence of Wazo, Prince-Bishop of Liège and Henri III, Holy Roman Emperor.  It was the golden age of the Nivelles monastery which owned territories as far afield as Friesland, the Moselle and the Rhine.

After a cup of coffee or tea on arrival, we will be having a guided visit of the monastery’s church, now a Collegiate, which is a church endowed for a chapter of canons but without a bishop’s see. Here we will learn not only about the life of Saint Gertrude, the town’s patron saint, but also about the architecture of this fascinating building considered by art historians as one of the finest and purest Romanesque buildings in Europe.

Each year Nivelles celebrates its’ saint with a procession through the town (known as the Tour) and a service in the collegiate church when the modern 20th century reliquary containing Saint Gertrude’s remains is shown to the public. We will have a chance to see the reconstruction of the 13th century reliquary destroyed in the 1940s and several panels that decorated the ‘chasse’ from the 15th century. The latter are kept in the Imperial Room,

Nivelles was badly destroyed in the Second World War and, after lunch, we will be given a walking tour of the town taking in the only part that was not bombed by the Germans, the Parc de la Dodaine and other highlights.

Programme:   

10.30 – 12.00   Visit of the Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude. Group divides into two to be lead by one French and one English-speaking guide.

12.30 – 14.30   Two-course lunch at L’Union taverne/restaurant comprising the local specialty as an entrée and a pavé of salmon with white wine sauce  for the main. Drinks with the meal are included (except for hard alcohol). Vegetarian or gluten free meals will be served to participants who indicated this at the time of registration.

14.30 – 16.00  Guided walking tour of the town.

16.15   Farewell drink at L’Union (not included)

If you have registered and paid for this event you are kindly asked to let the organizer know, preferably by e-mail, and he will inform you of any additional guidelines as well as the list of participants in the week preceding the outing.

Parc de la Dodaine

How to get there:    

By public transport: train (or bus) to Nivelles station and then walk 12 minutes to the Grand Place.

By car:  Parking is paying in the town centre but there are three free parking places within walking distance of our meeting place. They are P1 Saint Roch, P2 Saint Jacsues and P3 Recollets. The last two are small parking lots whereas P1 has space for 450 vehicles. Walk 600m from P1 to our meeting place.

Note:

NTAB is an officially affiliated Supporter Group of the National Trust of England, Wales & Northern Ireland.

The fee for this outing includes a portion allocated to our annual donation to the National Trust.

The National Trust is internationally recognized as a leading organization in heritage conservation, setting the global standard in preserving historic places, beautiful landscapes and cultural treasures for generations to come.