Tournai (in
DutchDutch is a West Germanic language spoken by over 22 million people as a native language, and over 5 million people as a second language.
"1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language...
Doornik, in Latin:
Tornacum) is a
WalloonThe Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, is one of the three federal Regions of Belgium. It represents 33% of the population and 55% of the territory of Belgium. The region is predominantly French-speaking but there are also German-speaking municipalities in the east, accounting for 2% of the...
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
and municipality of
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
located 85 kilometres southwest of
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
, on the river
ScheldtThe Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
, in the province of Hainaut.
It (along with
TongerenTongeren is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish region, Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium. Inhabited in the Roman period by the Tungri, and known as Atuatuca Tungrorum, it was the administrative centre of the district under Roman rule.-Atuatuca...
) is the oldest city in Belgium and it has played an important role in the country's cultural history.
Geography
Tournai is located in the
lowlandsThe North European Plain is a geomorphological region in Europe. It consists of the low plains between the Central European Highlands to the south and the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north. Theses two seas are separated by the Jutland peninsula...
of Belgium, at the southern limit of the Flemish plain, in the basin of the river Scheldt ("Escaut" in French). Administratively, the town is part of the Province of Hainaut, itself part of the
Walloon RegionThe Walloon Region, commonly called Wallonia, is one of the three federal Regions of Belgium. It represents 33% of the population and 55% of the territory of Belgium. The region is predominantly French-speaking but there are also German-speaking municipalities in the east, accounting for 2% of the...
of the country. It is also a commune that is part of the
French-speaking CommunityThe French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...
of Belgium. Tournai has its own
arrondissementsThe federalized country Belgium geographically consists of 3 regions, of which only Flemish Region and Walloon Region are subdivided into 5 provinces each; the Brussels-Capital Region is neither a province nor is it part of one....
, both administrative and judicial.
Its area of 213.75 km² makes it the largest commune in size in Belgium; it is also the largest in population in Western Hainaut. The municipality of Tournai consists of the former municipalities of
Ere, Saint-Maur, Orcq, Esplechin, Froyennes, Froidmont, Willemeau, Ramegnies-Chin, Templeuve, Chercq, Blandain, Hertain, Lamain, Marquain, Gaurain-Ramecroix, Havinnes, Beclers, Thimougies, Barry, Maulde, Vaulx, Vezon, Kain, Melles, Quartes, Rumillies, Mont-Saint-Aubert, Mourcourt and Warchin.
Geology
Rocks from the Tournai area date from the Carboniferous Period and have been used to define the Tournaisian Age, a subdivision of the Carboniferous lasting from 359 to 345 million years ago. Tournai stone is a dark limestone which takes a polish and was used particularly in the Romanesque period for sculpted items such as baptismal fonts. It is also hard enough to have been used locally for pavements and kerb-stones. It is sometimes called Tournai marble, though this is geologically inaccurate.
History
Tournai, known as
Tornacum, was a place of minor importance in Roman times, a stopping place where the
Roman roadThe Roman roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news. The Roman road system spanned more than 250,000 miles of roads, including more than 50,000 miles of paved roads...
from
CologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants...
on the Rhine to
BoulogneBoulogne-sur-Mer is a city in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city was 44,859 in the 1999 census, whereas that of the whole metropolitan area was 135,116.-Name:...
on the coast crossed the river Scheldt. It was fortified under
MaximianMarcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius , commonly referred to as Maximian, was Caesar from July 285 and Augustus from April 1, 286 to May 1, 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn...
in the third century, when the Roman
limesA limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire....
was withdrawn to the string of outposts along the road. It came into the possession of the
Salian FranksThe Salian Franks or Salii were a subgroup of the early Franks who originally had been living north of the limes in the coastal area above the Rhine in the northern Netherlands, where today there still is a region called Salland. The Merovingian kings, responsible for the conquest of Gaul were of...
in 432. Under king
Childeric IChilderic I was the Merovingian king of the Salian Franks from 457 until his death, and the father of Clovis.He succeeded his father Merovech as king, traditionally in 457 or 458...
, who was buried or reburied there, Tournai was the capital of the Frankish empire. In 486,
ClovisClovis may refer to:In geography:* Clovis, California* Clovis, New MexicoIn royalty:* Clovis I, the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler* Clovis II, king of Neustria and Burgundy...
moved the center of power to
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In turn, a native son of Tournai,
EleutheriusSaint Eleutherius of Tournai is venerated as a saint and considered the first bishop of Tournai. The Catholic Encyclopedia writes that "historically there is very little known about St. Eleutherius, but he was without doubt the first Bishop of Tournai." Tradition makes him a lifelong friend of St...
, became bishop of the newly created bishopric of Tournai, extending over most of the area west of the
ScheldtThe Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
. In 862
Charles the BaldCharles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.- Struggle against his brothers :He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
, first king of
Western FranciaWest Francia or the West Frankish Kingdom was a short-lived kingdom encompassing the lands of the western part of the Carolingian Empire that came under the undisputed control of Charlemagne's grandson, Charles the Bald, as a result of the Treaty of Verdun of 843.The Frankish Empire, the great...
and still to become
Holy Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a Middle Ages ruler, who as German King had in addition received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope of the Holy Roman Church, and after the 16th century, the elected monarch governing the Holy Roman Empire, a Central...
, would make Tournai the seat of the
County of FlandersThe County of Flanders was a historical region in the Low Countries.It consisted not only of the two actual Belgian provinces of East Flanders and West Flanders but also much of the present-day French département of the Nord , in parts of which there is still a minority speaking the French Flemish...
.
After the partition of the Frankish empire by the Treaties of
Verdun (843)In the Treaty of Verdun was a treaty by the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, son and successor of Charlemagne, which divided the territories of the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms....
and of
Meerssen (870)The Treaty of Meerssen or Mersen was a partition treaty of the Carolingian Empire concluded on 8 August 870 by the two surviving sons of Emperor Louis the Pious, King Charles the Bald of West Francia and Louis the German of East Francia, at Meerssen north of Maastricht, in the present-day...
, Tournai remained in the western part of the empire, which in 987 became
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. The city participated in eleventh-century rise of towns in the
Low CountriesThe Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers...
, with a woollen cloth industry based on English wool, which soon made it attractive to wealthy merchants. An ambitious rebuilding of the cathedral was initiated in 1030. The commune's drive for independence from the local counts succeeded in 1187, and the city was henceforth directly subordinated to the French Crown, as the
seigneurie de Tournaisis, as the city's environs are called. The stone Pont des Trous over the Scheldt, with defensive towers at either end, was built in 1290, replacing an earlier wooden structure.
During the 15th century, the city's textile trade boomed and it became an important supplier of
tapestryTapestry is a form of textile art, woven on a vertical loom. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a loom, and the weft thread is passed back and forth across part or...
. The art of painting flourished too:
Jacques DaretJacques Daret was an Early Netherlandish painter born in Tournai , where he would spend much of his life. Daret spent 15 years as a pupil in the studio of Robert Campin, alongside Rogier or Rogelet de le Pasture , and afterwards...
,
Robert CampinRobert Campin , now usually identified with the artist known as the Master of Flémalle, is usually considered the first great master of Early Netherlandish painting...
and Rogier van der Weyden all came from Tournai. It was conquered in 1513 by
Henry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII.Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy...
, making it the only Belgian city ever to have been ruled by England. It was also
representedTournai was a former constituency of the Parliament of England.The city of Tournai, Flemish city dependent of the French Crown, was under English rule from 23 September 1513 until it was returned to France in 1519. During part of that time it was represented in the Parliament of England by two...
in the 1515
Parliament of EnglandThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066, William of Normandy brought a feudal system, by which he sought advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
. The city was handed back to French rule in 1519.
In 1521, Emperor
Charles VCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
added the city to his possessions in the
Low CountriesThe Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers...
, leading to a period of religious strife and economic decline. During the 16th century, Tournai was a bulwark of
CalvinismCalvinism is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, but eventually it was conquered by the Spanish governor of the Low Countries, the Duke of Parma, following a prolonged siege in 1581. After the fall of the city, its Protestant inhabitants were given one year to sell their possessions and emigrate, a policy that was at the time considered relatively humane, since very often religious opponents were simply massacred.
One century later, in 1668, the city briefly returned to France under
Louis XIVLouis XIV , popularly known as the Sun King , was King of France and of Navarre His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days, and is the longest documented reign of any European monarch.Louis began personally governing France after the death...
in the Treaty of Aachen. After the end of the War of Spanish Succession in 1713, under terms of the
Treaty of UtrechtThe Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713. The treaties among several European states, including France, Spain, Great Britain,...
the former Spanish Netherlands, including Tournai, came into possession of the Austrian Habsburgs. From 1815 on, following the
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
, Tournai formed part of the
United NetherlandsUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands was the unofficial name used to refer to a new unified European state created from part of the First French Empire during the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
and after 1830 of newly independent Belgium. Badly damaged in 1940, Tournai has since been carefully restored.
Tourist attractions
Tournai is considered to be one of the most important cultural sites in Belgium. The mixed
RomanesqueRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, characterised by semi-circular arches, and evolving into the Gothic style, characterised by pointed arches, beginning in the 12th century...
—and
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
—style
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of
Notre Dame de TournaiOur Lady of Flanders' Cathedral of Tournai is one of the most important architectural monuments in Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia's major heritage and as a World Heritage Site.-History:...
and the
belfryThe belfry of Tournai, Belgium, is a freestanding bell tower of medieval origin, 72 meters in height with a 256-step stair. This landmark building is one of a set of belfries of Belgium and France registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List....
, the oldest in Belgium, have been jointly designated by
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
as a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
. Inside the cathedral, the
Châsse de Notre-Dame flamande, a beautifully ornate 12th-century
reliquaryA reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
, gives witness to Tournai's wealth in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
. Other places of interest are the 13th-century
ScheldtThe Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
bridge (
Pont-des-Trous) and the main square (
Grand'Place), as well as several old city gates, historic warehouses, and a variety of museums.
As is the case with many cities in Belgium there are a number of beautiful and friendly cafés and pubs in the
Grand'Place. In the middle of the
Grand'Place there are a series of water fountains that are fun to observe and even play in for people of all ages. Another great interactive experience available is climbing the circular staircase to the top of the belfry.
Culture
Tournai is a French-speaking town of Belgium. The local language is
tournaisien, a
PicardPicard is a language closely related to French, and as such is one of the larger group of Romance languages. It is spoken in two regions in the far north of France – Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy – and in parts of the Belgian region Wallonia, district of Tournai and a piece of...
dialect similar to that of other communes of Hainaut and Northern France.
Tournai belongs to
Romance FlandersRomance Flanders or Gallicant Flanders is the part of the county of Flanders where people speak Romance languages, like varieties of Picard. It currently straddles the border of France and Belgium.-Name:...
, like
LilleLille is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
,
DouaiDouai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some 40 km from Lille and 25 km from Arras, Douai is home to one of the region's most impressive belfries.The population of the metropolitan area, including...
,
TourcoingTourcoing is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is located near the cities of Lille and Roubaix and the Belgian border.-Main sights:...
, and
MouscronMouscron is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. The Mouscron municipality includes the old communes of Dottignies , Luingne, and Herseaux .-Middle Ages:...
. Those towns, bilingual or not, are part of the Flemish cultural area and therefore possess several Flemish characteristics in their artistic heritage (architecture, painting, sculpture ... ). The city of Tournai was one of the greatest cultural and economic centers of Flanders. Some traces can still be seen today:
- The gothic choir of Our Lady's Cathedral
Our Lady of Flanders' Cathedral of Tournai is one of the most important architectural monuments in Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia's major heritage and as a World Heritage Site.-History:...
is a precursory element of the Scaldian (meaning from the ScheldtThe Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
area), typically Flemish, GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
art.
- The bishopric of Tournai was the religious capital of Flanders during more than a millennium (from 496 to 1559).
- The tapestries and draperies of Tournai belong to the great Flemish school of tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, woven on a vertical loom. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a loom, and the weft thread is passed back and forth across part or...
and Tournai was part of the Hanseatic LeagueThe Hanseatic League was an alliance of trading cities and their guilds that established and maintained a trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe, from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland, during the Late Middle Ages and early modern period...
of London, which also included the draper towns of Flanders.
- The Saint-Brice church of Tournai, dedicated to Saint Britius, is one of the first examples of the hallekerk style, so typical of the Flemish countryside.
- Some of the great Flemish Primitives
Early Netherlandish painting is the work of those painters who were active in the Low Countries during the 15th and early 16th century Northern renaissance, especially in the flourishing cities of Bruges and Ghent...
are from Tournai: Robert CampinRobert Campin , now usually identified with the artist known as the Master of Flémalle, is usually considered the first great master of Early Netherlandish painting...
, Roger van der WeydenRogier van der Weyden or Rogier de le Pasture is, with Jan van Eyck, considered one of the greatest exponents of the school of Early Netherlandish painting.-Life and family:...
, Jacques DaretJacques Daret was an Early Netherlandish painter born in Tournai , where he would spend much of his life. Daret spent 15 years as a pupil in the studio of Robert Campin, alongside Rogier or Rogelet de le Pasture , and afterwards...
.
Although Tournai is in the French cultural area, it also possesses some treasures of the
Mosan styleMosan art or Rheno–Mosan art is a regional style of Romanesque art from the valleys of the Meuse and Rhine, in present-day Belgium, especially in Wallonia, and the Rhineland, with manuscript illumination, metalwork, and enamel work from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.The Mosan region was...
. Indeed, the two most beautiful shrines of the Cathedral, commissioned by the Bishop of Tournai, were made in the region of
LiègeThe Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It belonged from 1500 on to the Lower Rhenish-Westphalian Circle. It was headed by the Prince-Bishop of Liège...
by the artist
Nicholas of VerdunNicholas of Verdun was a French artist, one of the most famous goldsmiths and enamellists of the Middle Ages, a major figure in Romanesque art, and the leading figure of Mosan art in his day...
: the shrines of
Saint-Eleutherius and of
Our Lady of Flanders (13th century). Those shrines testify to the opulence of the towns of Tournai and Liège during the Middle-Ages. The shrine of
Our Lady of Flanders has been called one of the seven wonders of Belgium.
Festivities
- The "Great Procession" (in French
French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
: Grande Procession) has taken place every year since 1092, with the single exception of the year 1566, when the iconoclasts considerably damaged the religious symbols of the city. This historic processionA procession is, in general, an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner....
unfolds in the streets every second Sunday of September.
- The first Monday after January 6 is known as "Lost Monday" (in French
French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
: Lundi perdu) or "Perjury Monday" (Lundi parjuré). This tradition dates from more than 700 years ago. The wealthier city inhabitants used to prepare fastuous family dinners and elect a king. Today, the family dinners have expanded to wider groups and a rabbit dish is often served.
People born in Tournai
- Clovis 1, first king of all Salian Franks
The Salian Franks or Salii were a subgroup of the early Franks who originally had been living north of the limes in the coastal area above the Rhine in the northern Netherlands, where today there still is a region called Salland. The Merovingian kings, responsible for the conquest of Gaul were of...
- Gilles Li Muisis
Gilles Li Muisis, or Le Muiset was a French chronicler and poet. Li Muisis was probably born at Tournai, and in 1289 entered the Benedictine abbey of St Martin in his native city, becoming prior of this house in 1327, and abbot four years later...
, FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
chronicler and poet (13th century)
- Roger van der Weyden
Rogier van der Weyden or Rogier de le Pasture is, with Jan van Eyck, considered one of the greatest exponents of the school of Early Netherlandish painting.-Life and family:...
, FlemishFlemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries...
painter (15th century)
- Jacques Daret
Jacques Daret was an Early Netherlandish painter born in Tournai , where he would spend much of his life. Daret spent 15 years as a pupil in the studio of Robert Campin, alongside Rogier or Rogelet de le Pasture , and afterwards...
, FlemishFlemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries...
painter (15th century)
- Pierre de La Rue
Pierre de La Rue , called Piersson, was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of the Renaissance. A member of the same generation as Josquin des Prez, and a long associate of the Habsburg-Burgundian musical chapel, he ranks with Agricola, Brumel, Compère, Isaac, Obrecht, and Weerbeke as one of the...
, Franco-FlemishIn music, the Franco-Flemish School refers, somewhat imprecisely, to the style of polyphonic vocal music composition in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, and to the composers who wrote it...
composer (15th century)
- Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. Traditional belief claims that he was an imposter, pretending to be Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV of England, but was in fact a Fleming born in Tournai...
, impostor and pretender to the throne of EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(15th century)
- Charles Blount, 5th Baron Mountjoy
Charles Blount, fifth Baron Mountjoy , was a courtier and patron of learning.Charles was born on 28 June 1516 in Tournai. In 1522 Jan van der Cruyce, a graduate of the university at Leuven and a friend of Erasmus, travelled to England to become private tutor to Mountjoy's children...
, courtier and patron of learning (16th century)
- Louise-Françoise de Bourbon
Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, Duchess of Bourbon, Princess of Condé , was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre, Madame de Montespan...
(1673–1743) illegitimate daughter of Louis XIV of FranceLouis XIV , popularly known as the Sun King , was King of France and of Navarre His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days, and is the longest documented reign of any European monarch.Louis began personally governing France after the death...
and his most famous mistress Madame de MontespanFrançoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marchioness of Montespan , better known as Madame de Montespan, was one of the most celebrated maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XIV of France...
.
- Donat Casterman
Casterman is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, specializing in comic books and children's literature. The company is based in Tournai, Belgium.Founded in 1780, Casterman was originally a printing company and publishing house...
, publisher (18th century)
- Piat Sauvage
Piat Jospeh Sauvage was a Belgian painter. Piat's father, Antoine, was a glass cutter. Piat worked in his father's factory until the age of 17, when he completed his technical schooling in drawing...
, painter (19th century)
- Louis Gallait
Louis Gallait was a Belgian painter.Gallait was born in Tournai, Hainaut, Belgium in 1810. He first studied in his native town under Philippe Auguste Hennequin. In 1832 his first picture, Tribute to Caesar, won a prize at the exhibition at Ghent...
, painter (19th century)
- Jean-Baptiste Moëns
Jean-Baptiste Philippe Constant Moens was a Belgian philatelist recognized as the first dealer in stamps for collectors. He was one of the original philatelic journalists.- Youth :...
, philatelist (19th century)
- Jules Bara
Jules Bara was a Belgian statesman and liberal politician.-Early years:He was born at Tournai and pursued the study of law in his native town, showing remarkable intellectual gifts and a fine power of oratory.-Career:...
, statesman (19th century)
- Georges Rodenbach
Georges Raymond Constantin Rodenbach was a Belgian Symbolist poet and novelist.- Biography :...
, SymbolistSymbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the movement had its roots in Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
poet and novelist (19th century)
- Hélène Dutrieu
Hélène Dutrieu , was a cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, stunt driver, pioneer aviator, wartime ambulance driver, and director of a military hospital.-Early life:...
, cycle racerTrack cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially-built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
, stuntA stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
driver and aviatorAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
(19th century and 20th century)
- Marc Quaghebeur
Marc Quaghebeur is a Belgian writer.* 1979 : Le Cycle de la morte : L'Herbe seule* 1983 : Chiennelures* 1987 : L'Outrage* 1990 : À la morte* 1991 : Les Aires des vieillards : Les Vieilles* 1994 : Fins de siècle...
, writer (20th century)
- Xaveer De Geyter
Xaveer De Geyter is a Belgian architect.De Geyter was born in Doornik, Belgium.He spent ten years at office for metropolitan architecture with Rem Koolhaas, where he worked on projects such as the Villa dall'ava in Paris, "urban design, melun sénart paris", the sea terminal in Zeebrugge, the zkm...
, architect (20th century)
- Ben Mariage, Man about Town (20th century)
External links
- Internationale petitie tegen het bouwproject van een toren in de Unesco zone van de kathedraal van Doornik (België).
- UNESCO World Heritage Site Citation
- Official site — The city's site, available in French
French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
, EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
and DutchDutch is a West Germanic language spoken by over 22 million people as a native language, and over 5 million people as a second language.
"1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language...
.
- Tournai City.net — Online directory for this city.
- Joan of Arc's letter to Tournai — English translation (by Allen Williamson) of this letter dictated by Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII...
on June 25, 1429.
- Apis Tornacensis — database and bibliography about history.
- Medieval Tournai An Academic Resource Center
- Société Royale d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Tournai, an exhaustive list of references on the history of the Tournai region, in French
French is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
.