Andenne Attractions
Andenne, approximately halfway between Namur and Huy, lies on the border of the Condroz.
The little town arose near a monastery which was founded about 700 by St Begga but of this nothing remains. Begga was the daughter of Pippin I, the sister of St Gertrude of Nivelles, and mother of Pippin II and therefore the progenitrix of the Carolingians. Her grandson Carl Martell is believed to have been born in Andenne; the bear fountain commemorates him and illustrates one of his first heroic deeds when, at the age of nine, he slew a wild bear with a hammer. For this reason a "bear carnival" is held annually in Andenne.
In 1273 the "battle of the cow" began in Andenne. It was caused by a farmer who had stolen a cow from a citizen of Ciney but was recognized in Andenne market. However, he refused to return the cow and was immediately hanged in Ciney. His master the Count of Namur besieged Ciney with the help of the Luxemburgers. The owner of Ciney, the prince-archbishop of Liège, hurried from Dinant with his supporters and there followed a two-year war at the end of which the Condroz was laid waste.
The little town arose near a monastery which was founded about 700 by St Begga but of this nothing remains. Begga was the daughter of Pippin I, the sister of St Gertrude of Nivelles, and mother of Pippin II and therefore the progenitrix of the Carolingians. Her grandson Carl Martell is believed to have been born in Andenne; the bear fountain commemorates him and illustrates one of his first heroic deeds when, at the age of nine, he slew a wild bear with a hammer. For this reason a "bear carnival" is held annually in Andenne.
In 1273 the "battle of the cow" began in Andenne. It was caused by a farmer who had stolen a cow from a citizen of Ciney but was recognized in Andenne market. However, he refused to return the cow and was immediately hanged in Ciney. His master the Count of Namur besieged Ciney with the help of the Luxemburgers. The owner of Ciney, the prince-archbishop of Liège, hurried from Dinant with his supporters and there followed a two-year war at the end of which the Condroz was laid waste.
Bear Carnival
A "bear carnival" is held annually in Andenne, at the climax of which little teddy bears are thrown from the town hall.
Collégiale Sainte-Begge
The parish church of Sainte-Begge, dedicated to St Begga, was built between 1770 and 1775 on the site of seven monastic chapels (Encloîtres), the model of which can be seen in the church. Also in the church is the black marble tomb of St Begga and her reliquary shrine (16th C.). The Porte Sainte-Etienne (18th C.), the last remainder of the seven chapels, is preserved in the Place Sainte-Begge.
