![[Flag of Verquigneul]](../images/f/fr-62-ve.gif)
by Arnaud Leroy
Last modified: 2004-10-02 by ivan sache
Keywords: pas-de-calais | verquigneul | bethune | crescent (black) | ermine (black) | gonfanon |
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by Arnaud Leroy
Source: local
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Verquigneul is a city of 1,600 inhabitants located in the southern outskirts of Béthune. Verquigneul is located inside the triangle Béthune - Bruay-en-Artois - Noeux-les-Mines, the heart of the former Black Country (Pays noir), the coal-mining district. However, the colours of the flag and arms have nothing to do with coal. In 1990, Verquigneul was incorporated into the municipality of Béthune.
The village was mentioned for the first time as Werkeniul
in 1144 in a bull by Pope Lucius II (1144-1145), who confirmed the
rights of the St. Bertin's Abbey on several churches in the north of
France, including Werkeniul. The first lord of Verquigneul was
Robert, son of Baudoin and Adelize. In 1147, he was allowed to build
an "altar" in another place than the old chapel.
The family of Verquigneul definitively left the village in the XIVth
century and was succeded by the families Le Vasseur de Verquigneul
and Preud'homme d'Ailly. Florence de Verquigneul (b. 1559) reformed
the Benedictine abbeys in the north of France; she founded in Douai
the Abbey Paix-Notre-Dame in 1604, in Arras the Abbey
Paix-de-Jésus in 1613, and in Béthune the Abbey
Paix-du-Saint-Esprit in 1624.
A lady from the Verquigneul family once married her servant. To show
their reprobation, the inhabitants of Verquigneul invented a card
game called le mariage de Verquigneul, in which the queen and
the jack were associated. In French, the same word valet is
used both for "servant" and "jack".
Source: Website of the Verquigneul nursery school
Ivan Sache, 25 August 2002
The flag of Verquigneul is horizontally divided white-black with the municipal coat of arms placed i nthe middle of the flag.
On 2 April 1980, the Municipal Council of Verquigneul decided to adopt as the municipal arms the arms of the ancient family of Verquigneul. These arms symbolized the fight of a Christian knight, represented by the ermine spots, against the Muslims, represented by the dark crescent, during the Crusades. The municipal flag was most probably inspired by a historical gonfanon, horizontally divided white-black with three long tails and the Verquigneul coat of arms placed in the middle
Source: Website of the Verquigneul nursery school
Ivan Sache, 25 August 2002
![[Historical gonfanon of Verquigneul]](../images/f/fr-62_ve.gif)
by Ivan Sache & Arnaud
Leroy
The municipal flag was most probably inspired by a historical gonfanon, horizontally divided white-black with three long tails and the Verquigneul coat of arms placed in the middle, also shown on the aforementioned website.
Ivan Sache, 25 August 2002