Discovering the town centre of Le Rœulx

Parking at Grand'Place in Le Rœulx.

(S/E) Opposite the Town Hall, turn right towards the narrow part of the Grand Place and continue along Faubourg de Binche to reach the former Saint-Jacques Hospital.

(1) Opposite the former Saint-Jacques Hospital, turn left onto Rue Saint-Jacques. At the first crossroads, continue straight ahead onto Rue du Cargies. At the next crossroads, cross Rue d'Houdeng (pedestrian crossing), then continue straight ahead down Rue des Arbalestriers to reach Square Léon Mabille.

(2) At the junction with Rue Sainte Gertrude, turn left onto the gravel path that crosses the square. At the statue of Léon Mabille, turn right to leave Square Léon Mabille, cross Rue Square Léon Mabille and turn left. At the fork, follow Rue de L'Ange Gardien to the right. At the traffic lights, continue right for 20 m to reach the pedestrian crossing, cross the main road and turn right towards Place du Château.

(3) Opposite the gates of the Château des Princes de Croÿ, turn left onto Rue Verte and continue towards Place de la Chapelle and the former Lamberte de Croÿ secondary school

(4) Head towards Saint-Nicolas Church.

(5) Go around the church on the right using the gravel path that runs around it. When you reach Place de la Chapelle again, go straight ahead on Rue Emile Vandervelde until you reach the traffic lights. At the traffic lights, cross the street and continue right on Rue Paul Janson. At the first intersection, just before the traffic lights, turn right onto Rue Courte. At the end of Rue Courte, cross Rue d'Houdeng and take Rue Trieu à la Bergeole opposite. At the crossroads, turn right and, at the T-junction at the small square, turn right onto Rue Neuve to arrive at the Grand Place, the starting point (S/E).

(S/E) Grand Place. The Grand Place in Rœulx, listed by the Royal Commission on Monuments and Sites, has a unique triangular shape. It was originally used as a market square, as it was called in 1469, "Su l'marchiet a Roes". There was a drinking trough for animals (a "wel") in its narrowest part and, opposite, a water pump to supply drinking water to the inhabitants. The road that runs alongside it is none other than the old road between Nivelles and Binche.
Part of the square was once marked by stone boundary stones. These stones were moved in the early 1900s and now surround Square Léon Mabille.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the square was the heart of the village, bustling with numerous shops. There was a clockmaker (Mr Latignies), two cafés, a Bon Grain, a stationery shop, a biscuit factory (Maison Coppens in the Maison du Cornet), a chemist's and a hardware store where you could find everything you needed.
In 2002, the Grand-Place was completely renovated. At the same time, a fountain was installed, designed by artist Freddy Taminiaux. This fountain is a true allegory of fertility and abundance. Several symbols are hidden in it: abundance is represented by hair braided like ears of wheat,the sisters of the former Saint-Jacques Hospital are evoked by the chasuble,the abbots of Saint-Feuillien Abbey ( Premonstratensian canons) are symbolised by the serrated hem of a chasuble, andfertility is illustrated by the rounded belly.

The town hall. Built in 1862, it replaced the "Maison de la Paix" (House of Peace), which stood on the left corner of the Grand-Place at the beginning of Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville. The design of the façade is largely inspired by the central part of the Château de Roeulx. It features six openings, a triangular pediment and a balcony with a balustrade. The plans for the building were drawn up by Prince Emmanuel de Croÿ. The Rhodian master mason Nicolas Charlez was responsible for its construction. The building housed the magistrate's court until 2006, as evidenced by the words "peace - justice - laws" engraved under the balcony. It has a clock whose mechanism was designed by Prince Emmanuel de Croÿ in 1864, who also built the clock in the bell tower of Saint-Nicolas Church and the one in the castle

The Maison Saint-Nicolas. Opposite the town hall, at number 28, is the Maison Saint-Nicolas or "hostel Saint-Nicolas", which dates back to 1745. The inn, already mentioned in^{the 15th} century, had rooms, stables and a "graingette" (an old popular cabaret in the Paris suburbs that served as a restaurant and often as a dance hall and garden). The entrance door has a niche with a statuette of St. Nicholas and three small children. The garden at the rear of the building is the "Jardin de la Ramée", which has many remarkable trees.

The Cornet House. The Cornet House, where the Cornet inn once stood, was a small inn that welcomed travellers and horses. Some parts of the building date from the late^16th to early^17th century. The buildings in the courtyard are marked 1632. In 1637, the inn was the main house in the town. The stonemasons' marks on the façade date from the late 16th^century.

The so-called "Spanish" house(to the left of the town hall). As attested by an inscription above the door, this Spanish-style house was built in 1727, although we had been under Austrian rule for some fifteen years. It is located on the site of the town's former market hall. The property is listed.

The row of buildings opposite the Town Hall. On 17 June 1706, the day of the "karmesse", a violent fire ravaged part of Le Rœulx, destroying all the houses on the Grand-Place, opposite the Town Hall. The fire, which started after the June festivities, even affected the Church of Saint-Nicolas, but miraculously spared the Maison du Cornet. This is why most of the houses in this neighbourhood date from the 18th century, more precisely from a reconstruction that took place around 1745. These buildings have a distinctive Tournai style, recognisable by their architectural features: the base is made of stone rather than brick and the door and window frames are surrounded by stone, creating a visual contrast with the brick walls.

(1) Former Saint-Jacques Hospital. Around 1202, during the Crusades, Baudouin, Bailiff of Le Rœulx, left for the East at the call of the Pope. He handed over his property to Eustache, Lord of Le Rœulx, so that it could Before leaving for the East at the Pope's call, Baudouin, bailiff of Le Rœulx, handed over his property to Eustache, Lord of Le Rœulx, to be turned into a hospital for the city's poor and pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. During the first four centuries, the hospital was run by secular lay people, nuns and monks. They were responsible for welcoming and caring for the sick and for managing the hospital.
Around 1550, the situation was not looking good: the hospital was poorly managed and left to its own devices. In 1556, only one sister remained, Sister Péronne, and there were no brothers left. Count Claude de Croÿ decided to remedy this situation and called on the convent of the Sisters of the Madeleine in Ath. On 25 April 1622, four novice sisters devoted themselves to the cause: Madeleine Delecourt, Jeanne du Castillon, Marie Sapureux and Catherine Blanchart.
They arrived in 1625 and took their vows in 1627, following the order of Saint Augustine. In addition to their mission of caring for the poor, the sisters devoted themselves to rebuilding the hospital and chapel and also took charge of educating the girls of the city. They also founded a school for young girls.
In the space of a century, from 1634 to around 1737, the hospital expanded and underwent several construction projects that gave it its current appearance. The entrance to the hospital is decorated with a bas-relief of Saint James surmounting a burning heart surrounded by the word "charitas". The choir of the Gothic chapel dates back to^the 16th^century. One of the rooms adjoining the chapel allowed the sick to attend services without risk of infection. After the French Revolution, the hospital was converted into a civil hospice and a charity office. At the beginning of the 20th century, it came under the authority of the Centre d'Assistance Publique (CAP), before being managed by the CPAS ( Centre Public d'Action Sociale). Behind the former hospital are the buildings of a retirement home inaugurated in 2001. Previously, this site housed stables and a pigsty.
The site also has an educational rose garden and a competition garden which hosts an international competition for new roses every year on the second weekend of September.
Opposite this building, in 1627, they built the current Institut Saint-Joseph. Young girls were taught reading, writing and sewing there.

(2) Square Mabille. Created in the early 1900s on the initiative of Léon Mabille, mayor of Le Roeulx from 1903 to 1922. It is surrounded by stone bollards from the Grand Place. Léon Mabille wanted all the houses to have a different decorative motif. Note the tiles on some of the roofs, which are two-tone in colour.
There are also two commemorative plaques dedicated to young resistance fighters who died on 4 September 1944 while ambushing retreating German troops.

A little further on, in Rue de l'Ange Gardien, is the school of the same name. It was built in 1903 by the Augustinian sisters who also ran the Saint-Jacques Hospital.

(3) Château des Princes de Croÿ. In gratitude for services rendered, Antoine de Croÿ, who was Grand Chamberlain to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, received the land of Roeulx from Jacqueline of Bavaria in 1433. Since then, the de Croÿ family has always occupied the château.
Many famous historical figures have stayed there, including Charles V, Marie de Medici, and the Dukes of Burgundy Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. The castle was also the site of a historic meeting a few days before the Battle of Waterloo, when the Prince of Orange (William of Orange-Nassau) and the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley) met there.
The castle that can be admired today dates from the 18th century. It was renovated between 1740 and 1760 to become a pleasure palace, whereas it was previously a defensive keep. Although the building has been transformed, some 15th-century rooms have been preserved. Thefaçade of the castle bears a striking resemblance to that of the town hall, an architectural echo that links these two iconic buildings of the town.
At the top of the entrance gate, two profiles of weapons can be seen and fire pots on either side.

(4) Lycée Lamberte de Croÿ. Founded in 1601, it was a college of Greek and Latin humanities. It subsequently became a gendarmerie, a primary school and a secondary school, which was converted into the Moyenne de l'État school. After 1880, the two wings were built. The town's coat of arms was placed above the entrance. It now houses luxury apartments.

Chapel of Our Lady of the Fountain. Opposite the former high school, in the flowerbed under the two lime trees, stood the Chapel of Our Lady of the Fountain, built in 1441 by Jacqueline de Croÿ. It was destroyed during the French Revolution.

The chaplain's house. This is the large building on the right as you enter the Croÿ estate, built in 1728. It was the home of the two chaplains who served the parish and were in charge of worship in the Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Fontaine.

The vicars' house. At numbers 10 and 11 on Place de la Chapelle are the "vicars' houses ". This residence forms a neo-Gothic Bruges ensemble. The brick, sandstone and blue and white stone building was constructed in 1902.

(5) Saint Nicholas Church. The first church dates back to 1181 and was run by the abbot of Saint-Feuillien Abbey. It was destroyed by fire in 1400 and demolished by storms in 1581 and 1606. On 27 June 1706, the day of the "karmesse", a huge fire ravaged the town, from the Grand-Place to the Place de la Chapelle. The blaze was so intense that the church bells melted, leaving a trail of molten metal visible on the ruins of the bell tower. It was rebuilt from 1716 and completed in 1733. In 1837, following the enlargement of the church, the cemetery was moved outside the town. In poor condition, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1869. The bell tower rises to a height of 75 metres. Five bells are installed there: Adélaïde and Constance (1818), Léopoldine, Magdelaine and Louise in 1871.

Rue Emile Vandervelde (formerly Rue des Tourneurs). This was the shopping street in Le Rœulx. On the corner at the beginning of the street was a Delhaize shop, and there was also a shoe shop, a chemist, a milliner (Emilia), a clothes shop, a druggist and a bakery. All of these have now disappeared. In 1930, in order to maintain political balance, it was decided to rename itRue Emile Vandervelde, as there was already a Rue Léon Mabille and a Rue Paul Janson. It had also become the 'Wall Street' of Le Rœulx, with four bank branches on the street, but all of that has disappeared.

The Saint-Feuillien brewery(located at the end of Rue Courte). The history of the Saint-Feuillien brewery began in 1873, when Stéphanie Friart, a daring entrepreneur, founded her brewery at the entrance to Le Rœulx, on the Mons road near the Spar shop. She produced light beers, including the famous Grisette and Rhodia. This was the beginning of a family saga that continues to this day. In 1920, production was moved to the heart of the town, to a new complex built in 1893, which was also a former brewery. This building, which combines architectural elegance and technical innovation for its time, still houses the brewery today. In the mid-20th century, the brewery began producing the famous Saint-Feuillien, a world-renowned abbey beer. This beverage revived the memory of the local abbey and reconnected with the Rhodian brewing tradition. A small niche contains not a statue of Saint Feuillien, but that of Saint Donat, the patron saint of brewers.

Today, all production has been transferred to a new, ultra-modern, automated brewery located at the entrance to Le Rœulx, at the Saint-Feuillien roundabout just before the Canal du Centre canal bridge.