Stavelot

Stavelot (in Walloon Ståvleu ) is a French-speaking city of Belgium located in Walloon region in the east of the Province of Liege.

It has a population of 6.660 inhabitants and a surface of 8.507 hectares. It is located at 50 kilometers of Liege and 150 of Brussels.

History

Stavelot is one of the oldest towns of Belgium. Its foundation goes up with 648 per Remacle saint, who at the request of Sigebert III, was in charge of the evangelization of the region.

The plain Abbey with that of Malmedy, set up in ecclesiastical principality, was attached to the Saint Empire Romain Germanique. Its chief, who carried the title of Prince-abbot had all the spiritual powers and temporal. This autonomy ended with the Révolution in 1794. The Congress of Vienna separated the sister city from Malmedy which went to Prussia.

Stavelot during times… a little history

It is after the collapse of the Roman Empire due to the many cruel invasions of the 5th century that several bishops missionaries will leave, especially of the south of the France, to clear, cultivate and build Abbaye S which well quickly will become hearths of culture and civilization.

Thus in the middle of the 7th century, the king Sigebert III, wire of the well-known king Dagobert Ier, entrusted to Remacle, abbot of the flourishing abbey of Solignac in the the Limousin, the mission of évangéliser part of the forest of Ardenne. Remacle stopped initially with Cugnon, on the edges of the Semois (644 with 648); the site not being appropriate to him, it moved more to North to stop in Malmunderio (Malmedy), in the valley of Warche, where it set up a first monastery in 648. Then in Stabelaco (Stavelot), a few miles further, on the edges of Amblève, it founds a second in of it 651. Abbey doubles but under the crook of only one abbot, Stavelot - Malmedy knows multiple internal conflicts because each abbey asserts precedence of the other. Finally, the primacy returns in Stavelot (meeting room of the chapter) because Remacle established its residence there and there will find its burial. Stavelot and Malmedy profited from an insulation favourable with meditation but this loneliness was only apparent… Located between the valleys of the the Rhine and the Meuse, within a whole communication network like Liege and Aachen ( Aachen ), from Cologne to Trier ( To sort ), this double monastery went to know a political and cultural blooming remarkable.

These two abbeys, concerned with the spiritual point of view, one of évêché of Cologne for Malmedy, the other of évêché of Liege for Stavelot, gave rise to a independent Principauté, until its suppression on September 12th 1796 following the French revolution of 1789.

Faithful to the austere and pure monastic rules of the saints Benoit and Colonban, the monks occupied themselves mainly with agricultural tasks. An oratorical first dedicated to the saints Martin, Pierre and Paul was built in the middle of the modest cells monacales.

Many legends are attached at that time. Most famous is undoubtedly that of the " " packsaddlled Wolf " who became thereafter the Emblème of the town of Stavelot. This legend tells us how Remacle to punish the wolf to have devoured its ass which helped it to transport stones to build its first church, ordered to him to replace it and to carry itself the Hotte S of stones.

A few years after the death of Holy Remacle, a first church, out of stone, was built in the north of the primitive oratory. It was devoted under the abbot Goduin, on June 25th 685. The same day, one placed there the remainders of the Fondateur saint preserved in a small money and gold mounting.

Some dates…

December 881, invasions of the Normand S. the monks flee with their treasures and their relics. In 883, new invasion of Norman, the abbot Odilon will make rebuild the abbey in ruin.
1021 : Advent of the abbot Poppon. Large builder, Poppon will make build an imposing church of more than one hundred meters, in the presence of the Empereur of Germany Henri III, this new abbey church was devoted on June 5th 1040.
1098 : birth of Wibald von Stablo in Chevrouheid, small hamlet of the surroundings of Stavelot. Wibald will play on the international scene a capital religious part for the area and in particular for the abbeys of Stavelot-Malmedy.

, The abbey of Stavelot will know a long decline.

1659 : construction of the convent of the Capuchin S.
1689: October 4th the troops of Louis XIV devastate and set fire to the city, it will remain only the abbey, the Basse-cour… Plus of 360 houses are destroyed.
1701 : the lightning destroys partly the tower of the abbey church.
Of 1741 with 1753: construction of the new abbey of Stavelot.
1750 : construction of the new primary church dedicated to Holy Sebastien
Starting from 1770: construction of the Liftings (roads), the fountains as well as improvements in the center town.
1793 with 1804: departure and abandonment of the abbey by the monks. The revolutionists ransack the abbey, the church will be sold and demolished. Fine of the principality of Stavelot Malmedy" ".

In 1899, the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire makes a short stay, but determinant, in Stavelot; it will frequently evoke the memory of it.

In 1950, the monks Benedictines joined again with the tradition by melting the Saint-Remacle monastery of Wavreumont.

Geography

The commune, located in the middle of high the Ardenne, is placed in the center of a broad valley resulting from the confluence of the Amblève, and Red Eau.

Characteristics

the buildings of the abbey of Stavelot, renovated in 2002 accommodate three museums:

of the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, recalling the history of the circuit and presenting many vehicles of exceptions.

of the Principality of Stavelot-Malmedy

Guillaume Apollinaire

Road racing set of Spa-Francorchamps
the natural reserve of the High Fagnes
the primary education church St-Sebastien and his treasures.
the Korfmacher organ of the St-Sebastien church.
St-Laurent Vault in date of 1030.
contemporary Art gallery.
Temporary exhibitions.

Economy

Famous characters

Wilhelm de Kostrowitzky, future Guillaume Apollinaire, at the 19 years age, lived in Stavelot during the summer 1899. While his/her mother (Polish aristocrat) spends her days to the casino of Spa, the young man discovers Stavelot, his area and… the love in the person of Marie Dubois, for whom it will write her only poem as a Walloon: Mareye . It left without paying one morning of the inn. It described the area in a poem Fagnes of Wallonia .
François Prume, violonist and type-setter.
Raymond Micha, Type-setter.

Stavelot and its White-Moussis

It would seem that formerly, the monks of Stavelot were accustomed to taking part with Stavelotains in the festivities of the carnival. Following an edict of the Prince-abbot, G. of Manderscheidt in 1493, this practice was prohibited.

Stavelotains which appreciated the presence of the monks to their festival, renâclèrent with this prohibition and decided to turn it in derision to their way. They initially took part in the carnival disguised themselves as monks until fell a new prohibition! Then calling upon their imagination, they created a white costume with cap, evoking the dress monacal more discreetly… They added to this disguise a strange mask, impersonal, with a very long red nose and pointed: the White-Moussis had been born! It would seem that their first appearance in the city dates from the 16th century. During the French period, their exits were prohibited to be only more active about it after 1820.

The apotheosis of the procession of the Laetare in Stavelot is the rondo of the White-Moussis on the place Saint Remacle. A payment and detailed indications specify the way in which it must be carried out.

In addition a folk group " The Ardennais" Alarm clock; to the honor the " gave; Maclote" as well as other old dances of the area. The maclote was immortalisée by worms of Guillaume Apollinaire written at the time of his stay with Stavelot in the last years of the 19th century.

A city of hope and culture

Around the exceptional classified abbey site of Wallonia, Stavelot shows the preserved face of a city of the 18th century with its town square, its half-timbering and stone-built houses, its alleys, its fountains, its treasure religious (the Châsse of Saint-Remacle, masterpiece of medieval art).

Site classified of the abbey and museums (temporary circuit, principautaire, Apollinaire and expos).
the Blue Triangle (contemporary art gallery).
an arts center with permanent animation (French song, jazz, expos…).
Of the international festivals of music, theater and the tale.
Of the seasonal secondhand trades.
the Laetare of the White-Moussis, one of the most famous carnivals of Wallonia, third Sunday before Easter is March 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2008.
Of the historic sites of the Battle of the Ardennes of December 1944.
250 km of walks natural in the valley of the Amblève, jewel of High the Ardenne.
the primary church St-Sebastien (treasures, organ,…)

Sport

Billiards Club Stavelot

Black & White (football)

Sporting Star Francorchamps (football)

Football Club Ster

Mini Foot Club Cosmos

Royal Sporting Club Stavelotain (RCSS football)

Stavelot Goes Club

Stavelot Table tennis

Stav' leu Sport (football)

Tennis Club Stavelot

Volleyball Club

Twinning

External bonds

the site of the town of Stavelot and its commune
Abbey of Stavelot
the archeology and history of the abbey
musical Festival of Stavelot
the laetare with Stavelot
the of the Ardennes alarm clock
Country of the Sources
Deanery of Stavelot

The primary education church St-Sebastien and his treasures

the primary education church St-Sebastien with Stavelot was devoted in 1754. Built out of bricks and limestone, volumes of the naves and the chorus express with accuracy and simplicity their different heights, dominated by an elegant bell-tower.

Since the beginning of the century, the fabric committee worries to preserve but also to share, with the greatest number, the inheritance which is entrusted to him.

the restoration of the interior, in 1995, underlines the beautiful balance of volumes, the harmony of the rates/rhythms of the openings by privileging the luminous effect and by respecting the sober distinction of the stucco.

the building offers today a remarkable framework to an interesting furniture of which in particular:

a statue of guardian angels of J.Delcour (1696).

the retable out of wooden of the major furnace bridge (1776).

the statue of St-Sebastien, who is in the chorus, bought to the sculptor R.Panhay de Rendeux (1717).

the pulpit of truth in oak, which comes from old the abbatialle (18th century).

baptismal funds (16th century).

the lid of the baptismal engraved brass funds (1625).

the bust reliquary of St-Poppon (1628).

Of the objects of the worship dating from the 16th century at the 20th century.

14 painted medallions: Re-pressing Marie, the 12 apostles, Jesus.

And the chief of work of the treasures is the mounting of St-Remacle, placed in the chorus of the church. With the principal pinion of the mounting we find the statuette of Christ, on the opposite pinion Marie and on the sides, we can see the 12 apostles, St-Remacle and St-Lambert. The mounting is long of 2,07 measure, broad of 0,60 measure, and high of 0,94 measure. This one is done of copper gilded; it goes back to 1268 and always contains the relics of St-Remacle.

the visits of the church are possible Monday to Saturday, 9:00 with 19:00 and Sunday, 9:45 with 16:30.

the liturgical celebrations take place in week with 18:30 and Sunday with 10:30.

Responsible for the worship: Senior Charles-Andre SOHIER

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