Tournai Attractions

Obliquely opposite the main front of Saint-Brice stand two three-storied houses, the windows of which are divided by small central pillars. They were built about 1175 and are the oldest remaining Romanesque domestic houses in western Europe. A little way up the street can be seen another citizen's house, this time in Gothic style (14th C.).

At the extreme north end of the old town center the Pont des Trous spans the Scheldt; it is an impressive example of medieval defense architecture. The two towers (the one on the left dating from 1250/1281, the one on the right from 1304) were linked in the 1329 by a three-arched bridge. When they were restored after the Second World War, both towers were raised by 2.4m/8ft in order to allow the passage of ships.

Antiques and flea market is held on the Quai des Salines.

This annual festival is celebrated on the second Sunday in June. Some of the events held throughout the day include a carnival procession, complete with stilted giants and colorful clowns, an advertising float procession and a traditional parade led by the Knight of the Tower.

A colorful flower market is held along the Scheldt on Good Friday.

A fine secular festival is the "Fête des Rois" on the Monday after the feast of the Epiphany with a procession and rabbit feasting.

Grand Procession of Notre-Dame des Malades occurs in the fall in Tournai.

This annual folk dance festival runs from late September to early October.

An area where friends can meet and enjoy the recreation of water bicycles, pubs and swimming pools.

After a terrible epidemic of plague in 1092 Bishop Radbod inaugurated the great procession of Mary which henceforth has been held every year on the second Sunday in September. During the procession the shrine of St Eleutherius and other items from the church treasury are carried through the streets.

This annual religious festival is celebrated on the second Sunday in September. The festival commemorates the end of the 11th century plague, while at the same time honoring the Virgin Mary who was credited with destroying the disease. The festival has been held since 1090 and includes processions of the local church treasures. Musical and traditional events are held alongside the procession.

The "Quatre Cortèges" is held on the second weekend in June, the climax of which is a gigantic procession of historical figures.

In the southeast of the Saint-Brice part of the town can be found the best preserved parts of the medieval town wall (13th C.) with the towers called Tours Marvis and Tours Saint-Jean.

North of the market can be seen the slender tower of the Eglise Saint-Jacques which, after the cathedral, is the finest church in the town. It dates from the 12th C. and has a Romanesque tower, an early Gothic nave and transepts. The choir which was added in 1368 shows all the features of Scheldt-Gothic: the outer gallery, the triple windows, the side turrets and the triforium with alternate columns and pillars.

The northwest part of the town is also called the Quartier du Château (castle quarter) since in the Middle Ages the castle stood here. During the English occupation under Henry VIII (1513- 1518) the castle was constructed, of which only the Tour Henri VIII remains. It is a massive structure with two vaulted halls in which is housed a museum of weapons.

A cruise boat is an excellent way to see this ancient Belgian town.

In the castle in the little town of Antoing, 7km/4.5mi to the south of Tournai, Philip IV of France and Edward III of England met in 1340 for peace talks. The castle was rebuilt in the 19th C. and only the great 15th C. keep remains from earlier times. The tombs of the Melun family in the chapel are fine examples of the skill of the stonemasons of Tournai.

An ecology related site with dioramas of plants and animals and audio visual shows.

Traveling 13km/8miles to the east of Tournai we reach Leuze where the Church of Saint-Pierre (1745) stands on the site of a Romanesque predecessor. The exterior is uninteresting but the furnishings are far more worth while: wall paneling in the style of Louis XV with fine carving, a magnificent pulpit (1790), a ninth C. reliquary, and two brass desks in the choir (15th C.).

Situated 6km/3.75miles to the north of Tournai, Mont Saint-Aubert, 147m/482ft high, is the only hill for miles; it is also called Mont Ste-Trinité because of the little church which was built on its summit. From the top there is a fine distant view of the plains of Flanders in the north, the French town of Roubaix in the west and back to Tournai in the south.

Just beyond the village of Hollain, 9km/5.5miles south, a narrow little road branches off to the right. By a road crossing stands the 4.5m/15ft high menhir called "Pierre Brunehault" in the form of a trapezium. In the immediate vicinity there once ran the Roman road from Cologne to Bavai.