Andenne

Andenne (in Walloon Andene ) is a French-speaking city of Belgium located in Walloon region in the Province of Namur.

History

It is into 692, period mérovingienne, that Andenne starts its development, thanks to the foundation of a monastery by Begge (or Begga), great-great-grandmother of Charlemagne, sister of Gertrude de Nivelles, mother of Pépin of Herstal and grandmother of Charles Martel. The hero of the battle of Poitiers would have been born besides in Andenne.

At the time of a voyage to Rome, the Pape encouraged Begge, widow, to build a monastery. God made known in Begge the exact place where to establish this monastery, by showing him… a sow and his seven piglets, then a hen and his seven chicks. These signs were interpreted by Begge like the divine will to see installing a sanctuary with seven vaults at this place. Thus was born Andenne, the city with the seven churches. More probably, the pilgrimage with the seven basilicas of Rome was undoubtedly at the origin of the creation of these parishes. A chapter of chanoinesses also been based to him by Begge, settled at the same time around these churches.
It is as known as as Charles Martel, still child, killed, at the beginning of the 8th century, a bear which terrorized the city mosane. This legend explains the presence of this animal as a symbol of the city.

During all the the Middle Ages, plastic grounds of Andenne (the " white derle") supported the rise of the Céramique. The terra cotta potteries and squares were exported well beyond the limits of the city. The manufacture of clay pipes dates as for it from the end from the 18th century. Andenne was also characterized by the production from fine Faïence. Today, a Museum of Ceramics testifies to this flourishing activity which made formerly the reputation of Andenne in the whole world.

At the 18th century, the seven churches were destroyed and their stones used to build the Holy-Begge Collégiale, a neo-classic building builds between 1764 and 1778 by Laurent-Benoit Dewez (1731-1812), the official architect of Charles-Alexandre of Lorraine. The collegial one currently shelters a museum which presents Dinanderie 15th century, parts of Orfèvrerie of XVIe at the 19th century (of which the mounting Renaissance of holy Begge), textiles of XVIe at the 20th century, Antiphonaire S, bibles and missals including two manuscripts, of XVIe at the 19th century, sculptures of XVIe at the 19th century, tomb stones of XVe at the XVIIIe century, and a religious porcelain collection of Andenne (second half of the 19th century).

The First World War

At the beginning of the XVIIIe century, the borough starts one striking down demographic progression (the population is multiplied by 8 in 200 years exceeding the 8000 inhabitants the day before the first world war). Andenne and Seilles its neighbor will be vicitmes German armies in August 1914. The authors of the work the German atrocities (Horne and Kramer) could identify the German regiments responsible for the massacres with Andenne: in particular 83e IH of the German imperial army. It is it should be noted that Andenne did not join the reconciliation preached Germany with Dining, nor many other localities of Wallonia (a small hundred without counting those where deaths were lower than ten), which were the theater of dramas semblabes in 1914 and which the Histoire of Wallonia can integrate today in a more general and European vision.

These tragic days mark one period of demographic decline. During the XXe century, the population will manage to be maintained around the 8200 inhabitants only thanks to the international migrations (primarily Italian, Spanish and Moroccan) and with the urbanization of its rural part, the figure of population passes very close to the 9000 inhabitants.

Since the fusion of the communes in 1977 and until 2004, the burgomaster of Andenne was the Socialist Claude Eerdekens.

July 19th, 2004, this last becomes minister of sport and for the Public office in the government of the French Communauté of Belgium. It is replaced with the head of the college échevinal andennais by Francis Verborg, then by Vincent Sampaoli (communal elections of October 8th, 2006), which carry the title of " burgomaster making fonction". July 19th, 2007, Claude Eerdekens loses his mandate of minister and becomes again then the burgomaster of Andenne. The city is twinned with Chauny in France, Bergheim in Germany and, since 2005, Mottafollone in Italy (Calabria).

In 1977, Andenne becomes the administrative center of an entity of 24.300 inhabitants (figures of November 2005).

Culture

Andenne is famous today for its Carnival of the Bears, which proceeds each year with the laetare (mid-Lent), for its Fêtes of Wallonia, for its Biennial of Ceramics like for its festival annual rock'n'roll (Bear Rock Festival), created in 1995.
Plusieurs houses (whose tourist office located place of the Limes) as three ceramics fountains signed Arthur Craco also makes of Andenne a city Art nouveau.
Une of the most original traditions with Andenne is certainly that of the “Trairies”: every year, the night of Christmas, after the midnight mass, the citizens andennais gather until the small hour in bakeries and the coffees of the city to play card deck called “trairies” and which makes it possible to gain Yule logs and others cougnou S.

See too

Gallery photographs

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