Field trip!

Tournai & Ename

In the 1st century AD there arose a Roman settlement called Turnacum at the site of a crossroads along an important river in western Belgium. Over the centuries, the town has been rebuilt by Merovingians, Carolingians, French, English, French, Spain, Austria, and Germany (on a technicality). There is a wonderful cathedral, numerous smaller churches, hundreds of graves, thousands of houses, and many other sights. We were taken to see the civic bell tower (built by rich merchants to indicate their equal standing with the powerful local Bishopric), as well as the cathedral (which is being excavated and renovated due to it’s siting on ancient ruins and weak foundations).



Here is an image of myself, caught in the act of impersonating a gargoyle at the top of the belfry.

Tournai's claim to Fame: King Childeric (of the Franks) was buried there.

After a luncheon at a very fine local establishment in Tournai we went to the town of Ename. It is famous for a local cheese, and is the site of ancient fortifications, a later monastery, and one of the more eccentric medieval churches in North Europe. The cheese is good, the fort and house of monks are gone, and the church has been recently excavated and renovated-- now to be seen in most of its “year 1000” charm, albeit more Byzantine than Romanesque, which is the local norm (thats the odd bit; a local lord was trying to impress the Holy Roman Emperor, and built it with artisans from Istanbul).