Wez-Velvain
Encyclopedia
Wez-Velvain is a village in the municipality of Brunehaut
, which is located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. The municipality of Brunehaut was created in 1976 by the merging of the former municipalities of Wez-Velvain, Hollain, Laplaigne, Bléharies, Rongy, Lesdain
, Howardries, Guignies and Jollain-Merlin.
Wez-Velvain is made of two hamlet
s named after the Latin word vallis, "a valley", and fel vain, meaning "a fertile plain".
The written form Wez-Velvain existed in 1012 but was later altered as Guiez, Wes-Velvein, Weesh and Velvaing.
In 979, Godefroid le Captif ceded the farms of Neufville to the chapter of the St. Peter abbey in Ghent
. The local fortress was burnt down by the Flemings in 1288.
In 1302, Wez was sacked by Gossuin d'Antoing after his enemies had been welcomed there by Anselme d'Aigremont. The fortress was besieged by the Burgundian
s in 1478 and in 1521 by Baron de Ligne on Charles Quint's behalf.
It was later bought by the bishops of Tournai
and eventually demolished in 1820.
The church of Wez-Velvain, built in 1775, was one of the few in the region that was not destroyed by the German
s during the World War I
.
word meaning « ford ».
Brunehaut
Brunehaut is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Hainaut. It consists of the former municipalities of Brunehaut, Bléharies, Guignies, Hollain, Jollain-Merlin, Wez-Velvain, Lesdain, Laplaigne, Rongy and Howardries....
, which is located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. The municipality of Brunehaut was created in 1976 by the merging of the former municipalities of Wez-Velvain, Hollain, Laplaigne, Bléharies, Rongy, Lesdain
Lesdain
-References:*...
, Howardries, Guignies and Jollain-Merlin.
Wez-Velvain is made of two hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
s named after the Latin word vallis, "a valley", and fel vain, meaning "a fertile plain".
The written form Wez-Velvain existed in 1012 but was later altered as Guiez, Wes-Velvein, Weesh and Velvaing.
In 979, Godefroid le Captif ceded the farms of Neufville to the chapter of the St. Peter abbey in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. The local fortress was burnt down by the Flemings in 1288.
In 1302, Wez was sacked by Gossuin d'Antoing after his enemies had been welcomed there by Anselme d'Aigremont. The fortress was besieged by the Burgundian
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
s in 1478 and in 1521 by Baron de Ligne on Charles Quint's behalf.
It was later bought by the bishops of Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
and eventually demolished in 1820.
The church of Wez-Velvain, built in 1775, was one of the few in the region that was not destroyed by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
s during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Etymology
Wé is a WalloonWalloon language
Walloon is a Romance language which was spoken as a primary language in large portions of the Walloon Region of Belgium and some villages of Northern France until the middle of the 20th century. It belongs to the langue d'oïl language family, whose most prominent member is the French language...
word meaning « ford ».