![[Flag of Nassogne]](../images/b/be-wlxns.gif)
Last modified: 2005-11-12 by ivan sache
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Municipal flag of Nassogne - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 6 May 2005
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The municipality of Nassogne (4,536 inhabitants; 11,193 ha including 5,000 ha of forest; elevation 197-561 m a.s.l.) is located on the border between the regions of Fammenne and Ardenne. The municipality is made since 1976 of eight villages: Ambly, Bande, Forrières, Grune, Harsin, Lesterny, Masbourg, and Nassogne. The city developed around a collegiate church dedicated to St. Monon, a Scottish ermit murdered in Nassogne in the VIIth century.
In the Celtic times, there was in the forest of Arduina (later Ardenne) a fountain called Nassonia. The village which was built near the fountain was called Nassonia, Nassoigne, Nassonacum and eventually Nassogne. In the Roman times, Nassogne was located on the Roman way Bavay-Trier. Emperor Valentinian (321-375, Emperor in 364) stayed in the Villa Nassonia, where he signed decrees in 372.
Around 600, a Scottish monk called Monon was ordered by an angel to evangelize the pagans living near the fountain Nassonia. Monon decided to go first to Rome to ask for the assistance of Sts. Peter and Paul. On his way to Rome, he met John the Lamb, then Bishop of Tongeren and became his friend. Back to the place allocated to him by the angel, Monon started clearing and evangelization. Monon used a small bell found by a pig to call his flock to prayer in a small oratory later replaced by the Coumont chapel. The bell was probably a Gallo-Roman tintinnabulum lost by a convoy on the Roman way. After Monon had destroyed their idols, the local woodcutters allied with thieves in order to suppress him. Monon was murdered in his oratory with a spear or a wood wedge around 636.
John the Lamb, who had ben appointed Bishop of Maastricht, built a church paying hommage to his friend Monon, and ordered the canons of Huy to celebrate mass there every week. In the VIIIth century, King of the Franks Pépin le Bref (715-768, King in 751), who enjoyed hunting in the Ardenne forest, was impressed by St. Monon's miracles. He donated his royal hat decorated with jewels set in fine gold to the church and appointed a college of canons, who perceived the tithe in the region limited by the rivers Lesse and Ourthe. Once in Nassogne, thirsty Pépin hit a rock with his sword and water gushed forth. Since then, that place is called Pépinette.
In 825, Walcand, Bishop of Liège, ordered the transportation of St. Hubert's body to Andage (today Saint Hubert) and submitted the church of Nassogne to the prebends of St. Hubert's abbey. The chapter of Nassogne rejected in 1086 the authority of the abbey but still recognized his preeminence in the assemblies convened by the Pope. To solve the conflict, the Bishop of Liège transfered the Nassogne prebend to the Sts. Peter and Hubert's church in Liege but acknowledged the independence of the church of Nassogne. However, discipline got lax in the independent church and the Bishop had to sent legates in 1253 and again in 1254 to rectify the situation.
In January 1274, Gerard de Luxembourg proclaimed the freeing of the domain of Nassogne and granted a chart of rights to its inhabitants. Duke Wenceslas confirmed the chart and sold Nassogne to the Count de Namur in order to wipe off his debts. On 1 August 1536, Collard Malaize, St. Hubert's Abbot, signed a new chart prescribing the respective rights of the abbey, the lord and the inhabitants of Nassogne. The chart includes a detailed description of St. Monon's procession, called remuages (from remuer, to move). During the procession, the parishioners were arranged alphabetically by two halberdiers, starting with the parish of Ambly. When reaching letter F, the helberdiers shouted: "Stand back, people of Forrières who killed St. Monon!".
The rights of Nassogne were confirmed by Ferdinand of Bavaria, Prior-Bishop of Liège on 30 August 1634, and again on 25 January 1650 by Prince-Bishop Maximilian-Henri. The chapter founded by Pépin le Bref still existed but started to divide, so that Pope Clement XI (1649-1721, Pope in 1700) had to sent an apostolic nounce on 10 May 1709 to rectify the situation. The chapter was suppressed in 1794 by the French and the goods of the abbey were sold.
The collegiate church of Nassogne was completely rebuilt in 1661 and restored in 1673, 1782 and 1949, after blazes.
Source: Nassogne website (unofficial)
Ivan Sache, 12 April 2004
The flag of Nassogne is horizontally divided red and yellow
with the municipal coat of arms in the middle.
The official description of the flag, as shown in Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones is:
Coupé rouge sur jaune, chargé au centre de l'écu communal occupant le tiers du battant.
The flag was adopted by the Municipal Council on 21 June 1990 and confirmed by the Executive of the French Community on 18 December 1991.
The flag shows the colours of the municipal coat of arms, which is:
Coupé, au premier d'argent à deux fasces d'azur au lion naissant de gueules brochant, armé, lampassé et couronné d'or, à un lambel à cinq pendants du même brochant sur le tout; au deuxième de gueules à un sabot d'or.
That is:
Per fess, argent two fesses azure a lion emerging gules armed langued and crowned or a label of the same with five pendants, gules a clog or.
Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 6 May 2005