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NAMUR : Monuments | |||||
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GENERAL Namur (Home) History of Namur Namur : Capital of Wallonia Info on Belgium SIGHTSEEING Monuments The Citadel Hugo d'Oignies treasure Sightseeing Museums
EXTERNAL LINKS
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 Although the foundation of the habitat around
Namur goes back to Roman times, the monuments and buildings of the city
are relatively young. Namur has often been destroyed. Because of its
strategic position in the Meuse valley it served as a gateway to the
Northern areas such as the county of Flanders (Gent, Bruges) and the Dukedom
of Brabant (Brussels, Antwerp, Mechelen). However, despite the destruction,
numerous and splendid pre-medieval and Roman artifacts and objects, as well
as Medieval and Renaissance treasures can be seen in the different museums
of Namur.The Meat Hall, one of the most impressive monuments of Namur is situated directly on the bank of the river Sambre. The 'Halle al'chair' (meat hall) is the seat of one of the most important archeological museums of Wallonia. The building rests on a foundation of limestone. The materials used for the construction of the meat hall between 1588 and 1590 were brick and blue stone. Nearby, on the 'Place des Armes', the old St James tower from 1385 (above) watches over the city as Namur's belfry tower. The oldest still existing church is the late-gothic St. John's church. The main prayer house, however, is the St. Alban's Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint Aubin). Built between 1751 and 1767 it clearly shows the Italian education of its architect Gaetano Pizzoni who came from Milan. Pizzoni had the cathedral constructed on the site of a former Romanesque church, of which only the tower has survived. In the cathedral is the grave with the heart of Don Juan of Austria, Spanish governor of the Netherlands who died in 1578. He conquered the Turks in the sea battle at Lepanto. His body lies buried in the Escorial in Madrid. Near the cathedral stands the Saint Loup church, the former Jesuit church of Namur, built during the 17th century. Twelve Dorian columns support the beautifully decorated ceiling of the church.
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