Saint-Hubert (Belgium)

Sections of commune

Arville, Awenne, Hatrival, Mirwart, Saint-Hubert and Vesqueville.

Communes bordering

Libin, Libramont-Chevigny, Nassogne, Holy-Ode, Tellin, and Tenneville.

Economy

Saint-Hubert is an important tourist center of the Ardenne. The city enjoys a vast wooded environment. The city is especially known because of its protective patron saint of the animals and the hunters, but also for its vast giboyeuses forests.

Principal tourist curiosities of Saint-Hubert are the basilica, the abbey palate and the Saint-Gilles church. The basilica is today an good example of of the Ardennes building which combines harmoniously the styles Gothic and baroque.

One can also discover there at the edge of Masblette, it, a museum dedicated to the first steps of the industry of iron in Wallonia as well as a museum of outdoor gathering various types of houses and old buildings coming from the various Walloon regions. The zoological reserve is also interesting to visit.

Mirwart, which belongs to the entity of Saint-Hubert, has a remarkable castle.

Life and legend of Hubert saint

Hubert, wire of Bertrand, duke of Aquitaine and great-grandson of Clovis was born towards 660. It was named bishop of Liege towards 700. This évêché included/understood in the past the current territory of the Province of Liege, certain parts of the provinces of Antwerp, of the Brabant, of Namur and Luxembourg, like Limbourg (Belgian and Dutch). At the beginning the place of residence of Hubert was with Maastricht, but towards 710, this one came to be established with Liege. He is regarded as one of the founders of the town of Liege. He was bishop at one time when there were still many not christianized areas. He travelled to horse or in boat inside its évêché for there évangéliser the people living these regions, which he did until his death into 727. Its benefits were very quickly recognized by the Church and it was sanctified besides as of on November 3rd, 743.

Since XVe century, the legend reports that whereas Hubert drove out one Good Friday, it made the meeting of an extraordinary stag. Indeed this one was white and carried a luminous cross in the middle of its wood. When desired Hubert to pursue the stag, this one always managed to outdistance it without never tiring himself. It is only at the end of one long moment that this one stopped and that a voice thundered in the sky while being addressed to him in these terms: “- Hubert! Hubert! Until when will continue you the animals in the forests? Until when this vain passion will make you forget the safety of your heart?

Hubert, seized of fear, threw himself to ground and humbly, he questioned the vision:

- Lord! What is necessary that I make?

- Thus Goes, took again the voice, near Lambert, my bishop, with Maastricht. Converts. Make penitence of your sins, as he will be taught to you. Here it with what you must be solved not to be damné in eternity. I trust you, so that my Church, in these wild areas, by you is largely strengthened.

And Hubert to answer, with force and enthusiasm:

- Thank you, O Lord. You have my promise. I will make penitence, since you want it. I could in all things be worthy of you!

Hubert, duke and mayor of the palate of kings d' Austrasie, held word. It went near Lambert, its bishop, who accepted it with joy. He beseeched his protection, ensuring it that he wanted to devote to God the remainder his life started in impiété. The bishop gave him his blessing in Our Lord Jesus-Christ and put it on the virtuous and difficult track safety.

Giving up palate and richnesses, renonçant with all vanities of this world, Hubert withdrew himself in Andage, in the wood of Champlon, or Our Lord had shown himself with him.

The Lambert bishop condemned it to pay a fine and to make a pilgrimage in Rome. Arrived in this place, the pope indicated it as successor of the Lambert bishop who had just been assassinated meanwhile by the pagan ones. Of return to Maastricht Hubert met an angel which put on again to him a stole woven by the Virgin Mary. Then, holy Pierre himself appeared to him and a key gave to him which was the symbol of its future capacity of cure of the evil of the rage and the demented people.

Saint Hubert is the owner of the hunters.

The basilica and the monastery

See also: Basilica of the Saint-Pierre-and-Paul

See too

Bibliography *

Monographs

Dessoy (Maxime), Holy Hubert, the owner of Ardenne, the abbey, the basilica , Gofflot, Saint-Hubert, s.d.
Dierkens (Alain), Duvosquel (Jean-Marie), Nyst (Nathalie) and Al , the old abbey church of Saint-Hubert , Studies and Documents, Monuments and Sites, T. 7, Ministry for the Walloon region, Head office of Town and country planning, Housing and the Inheritance, Division of the Inheritance, Namur, 1999
Dupont (Pierre-Paul), Saint-Hubert in Ardenne , Duculot, Gemboux, 1971
Hector (Leon), Studies on Saint-Hubert in Ardenne and his old parish , Fasbender Editions, Arlon, 1956
Réjalot (Thierry), Manual of the pilgrim and the visitor to the Sanctuary of Saint Hubert-in-Ardenne , Duculot, Gembloux, 1934

Articles

Dupont (Pierre-Paul), " Saint-Hubert" , in Abbeys of Belgium , Group Clio 70, Leon Dewincklear, 1973, pp. 174-199
Tandel (Emile), " Saint-Hubert" , in Luxembourg communes , VIb Volume, archaeological Institute of Luxembourg, Arlon, 1893, pp. 952-1039

External bonds

Site of the commune of Saint-Hubert.
Site of Saint Hubert d' Ardenne, regional Company of history and archeology.
Site of the Union of the Cities and Communes of Wallonia asbl.
Wikimapia.
Saint-Hubert by the old postcard and the books.
classified Well on the site of the DGATLP

Random links: