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Mont-Saint-Guibert (Municipality, Province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium)

Municipal flag of Mont-Saint-Guibert - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 23 April 2005

Presentation of Mont-Saint-Guibert and its villages
Municipal flag of Mont-Saint-Guibert

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Presentation of Mont-Saint-Guibert and its villages

The municipality of Mont-Saint-Guibert (6,535 inhabitants on 1 January 2007;1,864 hectares) is located south of Wavre. The municipality of Mont-Saint-Guibert is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Mont-Saint-Guibert, Corbais, and Hévillers.

A chart signed by Duke of Brabant Godefroid I in 1116 mentions an "uncultivated promontory" suitable for building a fortress. Feeling threatened, the Abbot of Gembloux transported St. Guibert's shrine on the promontory (mont). St. Guibert* is the founder and patron saint of the abbey of Gembloux. A church dedicated to the saint was built there and the surrounding village was named Mont-Saint-Guibert. Duke Godefroid granted the law and the custom of Gembloux to the village.
The dukes of Brabant made of Mont-Saint-Guibert a chefmayerie, with a territory spreading from Wavre to Gembloux and from Noirhat to Tourinnes-Saint-Lambert, and a fair was set up in the village. The wealth of Mont-Saint-Guibert was restricted by wars, pillages and blazes. The village was plundered in 1185 by the troops of Count of Namur and Count ofHainaut, in 1332 by the princes allied against Duke of Brabant Jean III, and in 1489 during the revolt of Brabant against Maximilian of Austria. In 1667, during the Franco-Spanish war, the inhabitants of Mont-Saint-Guibert, helped by a Spanish troop, fought against the French sent by the Governor of Charleroi to collect tax.
In 1795, Mont-Saint-Guibert lost its title of chefmayerie and became a municipality. In the XIXth century, industry developed in the village, with the opening of several breweries and a famous papermill, all closed today.

Corbais is located on the plateau of Brabant between Mont-Saint-Guibert and Corroy-le-Grand. In the XVth century, Griffon du Bos, lord of Corbais, built a fortified tower still known as the Sarracens' Tower. In 1696, the troops of the powers allied against Louis XIV, commanded by King of England William III, camped in the plains between Corbais and Chaumont-Gistoux.

Hévillers is built half way down the hill on the right bank of the brook of la Houssière, a tributary of the Orne. The name of Hévillers (Villers in the XIIIth century) recalls the presence there of an estate (villa) in the upper Middle Ages. Most of Hévillers was owned by the castle of Bierbais, a fief of Bierbeek, near Leuven. The powerful Bierbek family had strong links with saint Guibert's family. The domain of Bierbais was incorporated in 1532 to the County of Walhain.

Source: Municipal website

*Saint Guibert (d. 962, celebrated on 23 May) inherited from his father the domain of Gembloux. He built there a Benedictine monastery and was allowed by Emperor Otto I to build walls, mint coins and set up a market. Then he moved to Gorze (Lorraine), where he lived like a saint. When they learned he was about to die, the monks from Gembloux asked him the permission to bring back his body to their abbey, which was a famous place of pilgrimage all along the Middle Ages.

Source: Nominis website

Ivan Sache, 23 April 2005

Municipal flag of Mont-Saint-Guibert

The flag of Mont-Saint-Guibert is horizontaly divided green-yellow-green (2:1:2) with a six-pointed yellow star in canton.
According to Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones, the proposal made by the Heraldic and Vexillological Council of the French Community was Trois laizes longitudinales verte, jaune et verte (3,2,3) avec au coin supérieur à la hampe, une étoile à six rais jaunes (Three horizontal stripes, green, yellow and green [3:2:3] with in the upper corner near the hoist a six-ray yellow star).

The flag is a banner of the municipal arms, which can be seen on the header of the front page of the municipal website. There the shield is hold by St. Guibert.
The coat of arms shown by Servais has the star in the shape of a Magen David and tilted to the upper hoist.
The municipal coat of arms is similar to the arms of the former municipality of Mont-Saint-Guibert, since the two other villages incorporated to the municipality had no arms.

Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 23 April 2005