Gregoire-Joseph Chapuis
Gregoire-Joseph Chapuis, doctor, philosopher and politician, were born with Verviers on April 11th, 1761. Verviers then formed part of the Principauté of Liege
Following the Revolution inhabitant of Li2ege of 1789, the prince-Bishop François-Antoine-Marie de Méan left the territory, territory where it returned first once in February 1791. The French battle of Jemappes (1792) will ensure the victory of the ideals of the French revolution, in particular near the Inhabitants of Li2ege, who will vote their fastening with the French Republic on February 17th, 1793. But in March, the Austrians re-occupy Liege and bring back the prince-bishop, in one second restoration which will be of short duration: the battle of Fleurus (June 26th, 1793) has as a consequence the final exile of the Prince-bishop on January 27th, 1794.
Chapuis, which was doctor (it was the first to carry out a Cesarean in Belgium) and one of the promoters of working education, became officer of the Registry office in the town of Verviers under the French mode. For this reason, he was a promoter of the civil wedding (the first was celebrated on February 22nd, 1793). At the time of the second restoration of the prince-bishop of Méan, it was stopped and condemned to death. Brought back Liege to Verviers, it was carried out publicly on the place of Récollets (today place of the martyr) on January 2nd, 1794.
A monument was set up with its memory on the place of the Martyr in 1880; Chapuis then became the symbol of the Freethinking.
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