Last modified: 2008-01-19 by ivan sache
Keywords: lovendegem | dogs: 2 (yellow) | chevrons: 2 (yellow) | scallops: 6 (red) | shells: 6 (red) | eagle: double-headed (black) |
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![[Flag of Lovendegem]](../images/b/be-vovlv.gif)
Municipal flag of Lovendegem - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 4 February 2007
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The municipality of Lovendegem (9,393 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 1,948 ha) is located half-distance (10 km) between Ghent and Eeklo. The municipality of Lovendegem is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Lovendegem and Vinderhoute.
Lovendegem is named after Lubantos, later Luvand, who owned an estate
(hem or gem) there. The name of the village appeared in the XIIth
century, as Lovendeghem, but the area was already settled in the Age of Iron. The village was divided into three feudal domains, the domain of
Lovendegem proper in the center of the village, the free domain (with a
chart granted by the Count of Flanders) of
Sleidinge-Lovendegem-Waarschoot in the north and the domain of
Vinderhoute in the south. The river Lieve, once an important
communication route and marking the eastern limit of the village, was
made underground in 1251-1269. The lords of Lovendegem showed up in the
late XIIIth century with Roeland of Lovendegem (1295), a vassal of the
powerful Count of Flanders Gwijde of Dampierre. In 1383, his
descendant Roeland rented out the castle of Lovendegem to the Ghent
militia, revolted against Count Lodewijk of Male. Roeland's daughter,
Mergriete, married in 1402 Boudewijn de Vos. In 1462, the domain was
confiscated by Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good after the lord of
Lovendegem had set a plot against him; the lords of Lovendegem were
then descendants of the Duke. Around 1550, Emperor Charles V
confiscated the furniture of Jacques, the last lord of Lovendegem of
Burgundian origin, who showed too much support to Calvinism. In 1559,
King Philip II sold the whole domain to Joos Triest, a rich burgher
from Ghent.
In the second half of the XVIth century, the religious war and the
repression exerted by Duke of Alva transformed Flanders in a lawless
region abandoned to warlords, mercenaries and rascals. In the beginning
of the XVIIth century, the situation improved and Lovendegem flourished
again, with the building of new houses and a new church, resuming of
agriculture and the digging of a canal in 1613. During the war between
Spain and the United Provinces, that ended in 1648, several forts made
of wood and earth were built along the canal. At the end of the XVIIth
century, the lord of Lovendegem had so many debts that the Flemish
Council decided to sell the domain in 1700. Lovendegem was purchased by
Gillis Dons, lord of Scheldewindeke. His descendants, made Barons in
1716, kept Lovendegem until the French Revolution.
Vinderhoute was mentioned for the first time in 966 as Vindreholt.
holt means "a wood" (in modern Dutch, hout), whereas vinder means "a
founder" (like in modern Dutch) or "a wooden footbridge without
guardrail". The village is surrounded by watercourses such as the Canal
of Bruges (built in the XVIIth century), the river Kale, the Boris
Canal and the Meirebeek (aka Canal of Gavere). In the past, the village territory was very often flooded after heavy rains. Like Lovendegem,
Vinderhoute was settled very early, since remains of rural settlements
from La Tène Mesolithic period have been found. Willem van Venderhod
was known at the end of the XIIth century as the local lord; later, the
domain was transfered to the lords of Gavere, who were also Counts of
Evergem and lords of Merendree and Mariakerke (inter alia). In the XIVth century, the domain was owned by Guy of Montmorency, lord of Laval. In 1518, a burgher from Ghent, Lieven van Pottelsberghe, was
recognized lord of Vinderhoute and built a castle. The wet surroundings
of the castle were (and are still) enjoyed by herons, therefore the
nickname of reigers (herons) given to the inhabitants of Vinderhoute.
Pottelsberghe was married with Livina van Steelandt, the last member of
the Allijns family, the founders of the Allijns hospital in Ghent.
Pottelsberghe and his sons contributed to the increase of the hospital
and funded new buildings and a new chapel. The last lords of
Vinderhoute, Count van Carnin en Staden and his wife née Le Poyvre,
died without children in 1830.
Pastor of Vinderhout Moernaut died in
1944 in Bochum (Germany) where he had been deported because of his
anti-German sermons.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 4 February 2007
The municipal flag of Lovendegem is quartered, I and IV a blue field
with a yellow hound bearing a red collar, II and III a black field with
a white chevron charged with three red scallops, overall an escutcheon
yellow with a black double-headed eagle.
According to Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel, the flag was adopted by the Municipal
Council on 25 August 1987, confirmed by the Executive of Flanders on 1
March 1988 and published in the Belgian official gazette on 16
September 1988.
The flag is a banner of the municipal arms.
From the same source, the municipal arms are:
Gevierendeeld:
1 en 4 in lazuur een gaande brak van goud;
2 en 3 in sabel een keper van zilver, beladen met drie schelpen van keel;
hartschild in goud een dubbele adelaar van sabel;
het schild is getopt met een baronnenmuts van de Oostenrijkse
Nederlanden en gehouden door twee leeuwen van goud, geklauwd en getongd
van keel.
(Quarterly:
1 and 4, azure a pointer or;
2 and 3, sable a chevron argent charged with three scallops gules;
Overall, an escutcheon or a double-headed eagle sable;
The shield topped with a Baron's cap of the Austrian Netherlands and
supported by two lions or langued and armes gules).
The first and fourth quarters represent the early lords of Lovendegem. On 1 April 1300, Wouter van Lovendegem served as witness in the sale of an estate by Robrecht van Béthune; the seal applied to the bill of sale shows a shield with a chevron charged with three scallops. The shield was later used by the lords of Lovendegem as their coat of arms, as "Sable a chevron argent charged with three scallops gules"; in the XIVth century, a crest was added, bearing either the name of the place or the name of the lord.
The second and third quarters represent Joost Triest, lord of Lovendegem at the end of the XVIth century. His family arms were "Sable a border or a pointer argent gorged gules, in chief two hunting horns the mouthpiece vert tied by an annulet argent"; the pointer is a symbol of loyalty and vigilance whereas the horns symbolize hunting. In 1632, Triest quartered his arms with those of the early lords of Lovendegem. The shield was topped by a Baron's cap (Lovendegem was not yet a Barony but Triest was already a Baron), whereas the supporters were two hounds with a red collar, each holding a banner, sinister with the hunting horns and hounds of Triest and dexter with the chevron and the scallops of Van Lovendegem.
The next owner of Lovendegem, Gillis Dons, Baron of Scheldewindeke, adopted new arms when Lovendegem became a Barony (1716), slightly modifying the former arms. He added a golden escutcheon with a double-headed eagle as a symbol of the Austrian suzereignty, changed the supporters for two lions and kept the Baron's cap. The source does not explicitely says that the hunting horns were removed from the shield.
Servais says that the arms of Lovendegem were granted by Royal Decree on 25 February 1924. He claims that Dons quartered his own arms with the old arms of Lovendegem, of unknown origin, and adds that the origin of the escutcheon is also unknown. The more recent report from the municipal website makes most Servais' statements obsolete.
Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 4 February 2007
