Chièvres, another small town, 6km/4mi southeast of Ath, began as a Roman settlement, later being a possession of, among others, the Counts of Gavre, Egmont and Croy. In the Middle Ages Chièvres grew to some importance on account of its manufacturing but subsequently proved unable to compete with Ath.
The Hôtel de Croy or "Maison Espagnole" (1560) in the Grand' Place, the residence at one time of Count Lamoraal van Egmont, dates back to Chièvres' period of prosperity.
Not far outside Chièvres, on a farm estate in the valley of the Hunnelle, stands the Romanesque chapel of La Ladrerie. In the 12th C. it belonged to a hospice for lepers.
