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Saint Gaugericus Island
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The Saint Gaugeric Island () was the largest island along the Senne (Zenne) river in Brussels, Belgium. It was named after Saint Gaugericus of Cambrai (about 580). The name "Brussels", which originates from Bruocsella or Broekzele, meaning "settlement in the marsh".
Because of the Covering of the Senne in the late 19th century, every evidence of the former island disappeared.
eastern edge if the island was about due west across Anspach boulevard, close to the actualBrussels Stock Exchange.
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Encyclopedia
The Saint Gaugeric Island () was the largest island along the Senne (Zenne) river in Brussels, Belgium. It was named after Saint Gaugericus of Cambrai (about 580). The name "Brussels", which originates from Bruocsella or Broekzele, meaning "settlement in the marsh".
Because of the Covering of the Senne in the late 19th century, every evidence of the former island disappeared.
Location
The eastern edge if the island was about due west across Anspach boulevard, close to the actualBrussels Stock Exchange. The island was about circular and situated at the location of the current Saint Gaugericus Halls. Many old street and building names still refer to the location of the historic Gaugeric island.
History
According tradition, a chapel on the island was dedicated to Saint Gaugericus (bishop of Cambrai around 580). At the end of the 10th century, the church was chosen to preserve the relics of Saint Gudula. In 1047 the relics were transferred to the nearby St. Michael church.
A 15th century chronicle tells that Charles, Duke of Lower Lotharingia, would have constructed a stronghold on the island. Archeological evidence of such military structure has never come to the surface.
In earlier times, the Gaugeric island would have been completely covered with iris flowers. Thanks to this legend, the iris has become a symbol of Brussels and has been choosen as the main symbole for the flag of the Brussels-Capital Region.
By the 12th century, several watermills were build on the island, playing an important role in the growth of Brussels as an economic centre. During the Middle Ages, the island housed a large number of fishermen, who used the river water to refresh their fish reservoirs. Fish was extremely important for a Roman Catholic city as Brussels, as fasts were rigorously obeyed. The fishing activity gradually disappeared however, even before the Industrial Revolution, as a growing number of tanners, dyers and other trades dumped their waste water into the river.
During the French revolution, the Gothic church on the island was destroying and replaced by a fountain on which an obelisk was placed that dating from 1767 and which had been confiscated from Grimbergen abbey. The open space around the fountain was later used as an open-air market.
Around 1870, when the Senne river was covered, some of the eastern sections of the island were demolished to build the modern bourgeois housings along the Anspach boulevard (then called Central boulevard). By 1882 the market place was replaced by an indoor market. The building, known as the Saint Gaugeric Halls (), is in Brabantian neorenaissance style. The fountain is still located inside the hall.
Bibliography
- Deligne, Chloé. Bruxelles sortie des eaux. Éditions Historia Bruxellae, 2005. ISBN 2960037316.
External links
- - Events calendar, Photo gallery, and more.
- - Neighbours and Businesses Association.
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