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Ardooie (Municipality, Province of West Flanders, Belgium)

by Jarig Bakker

Presentation of Aardoie
Municipal flag of Aardoie
Coat of arms of Aardoie

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Presentation of Aardoie

The rural municipality of Ardooie (9,275 ihnabitants) is located in the "heart" of the province of West Flanders, 7 km of Roeselare and Izegem and 10 km of Tielt. The municipality has an area of 3,457 ha and was made in 1976 by the merging of the former municipalitoes of Ardooie and Koolskamp.

The two villages forming the municipality were mentioned for the first time, and together, in 847, as the villae (estates) of Hardoay and Coloscampum, as parts of a settlement made by Charles le Chauve to the Benedictine abbey of Elnone (now Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, in the north of France).

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 5 December 2003

Municipal flag of Aardoie

The municipal flag of Ardooie, adopted by Ministerial decree, on 7 May 1985, is white with three red quintefoils placed 2 + 1. The flag is a banner of the former municipal arms of Ardooie.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 5 December 2003

Coat of arms of Aardoie

The current municipal coat of arms of Ardooie was adopted by Ministerial decree on 7 May 1985. It blazons:

Quartered first and fourth silver three quintefoils gules second and third azure chief ermine

These arms combine the former coats of arms of Ardooie (first and fourth quarters) and Koolskamp (second and third quarters).

Ardooie was granted its first coat of arms by the Dutch government in1816. That coat of arms was a blue shield charged with three golden stars, the lower star having a comet tail. The oldest known seal of the municipality is dated 1692. It shows three stars. A more recent seal (XVIIIth century) shows the same three stars, but including one with a comet tail. The municipal council applied for the use of the latter arms in the beginning of the XIXth century. Since there was not the least clue on the colour of these arms, the minicipal coat of arms was granted in the Dutch national colours.

In 1847, the municipal council decided to use the arms of the lords of Aardoie (XV-XVIth century), although there is no reported use of such arms by the local council at that time. The coat of arms (Azure three quintefoils gules) was granted on 28 June 1847.

The coat of arms of Koolskamp (Azure chief ermine) is based on the old arms of the lords of Lichtervelde. The municipality of Lichtervelde still uses the Lichtervelde arms, azure chief silver seven ermines. These arms are known since the XIVth century and appeared as the village coat of arms on the seal of the local council in the XVIIIth century.

Source: International Civic Heraldry (Aardoie - Lichtervelde)

Ivan Sache, 5 December 2003