In 2016, Belgian medievalists informed the State Records of Belgium that a rental granted by Philip associated with Alsace, Count of Flanders, to the Abbey of Messines (Mesen) in 1176 has been probably kept in the selections of The Met. The State Archives thus contacted this renowned museum. Extensive research figured the charter indeed was part of the archives of the Abbey of Messines (Mesen). Since the charter falls under the legal, The Met supported the return to Belgium. The Belgian Consul General in Nyc collected the medieval action for safekeeping by the Belgian State. After its established handover to the State Records by the director of The Met, Pierre Terjanian, organised on the Egmont Palace in Brussels, in the presence of the Ressortchef (umgangssprachlich) of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Business, and Federal Cultural Organizations, Hadja Lahbib; the Secretary of State for Recovery and Strategic Investments, in charge of Science Policy, Thomas Dermine; the US Ambassador to Belgium, Michael M. Adler; the director of The Metropolitan Art gallery of Art of New York City, Pierre Terjanian; and the National Archivist of Belgium, Karel Velle, the record shall be preserved at the Condition Archives in Bruges. Extensive analysis at The Met and correspondence between those involved in the issue concluded that the charter was indeed part of the archives from the Abbey of Messines (Mesen) prior to its destruction in World War I. Hereupon, The Met has taken the particular generous and complaisant choice to gratuitously hand returning to Belgium the precious rental it had received like a donation in 1923, plus carefully preserved ever since. In 2016, Belgian medievalists knowledgeable the State Archives that a rental granted by Philip associated with Alsace, Count of Flanders, to the Abbey of Messines (Mesen) in 1176 has been probably kept in the selections of The Met. As a result, the State Archives contacted the famous museum. The Met obtained the charter of Philip of Alsace in 1923 in good faith like a gift from its Curator associated with Arms and Armor Bashford Dean. Dean had bought the charter from a good unrecorded source in European countries and wished to donate this because the seal attached to this provided a rare representation of an early medieval European armor. Stéphanie Deschamps (FR)
Communication| Push – State Archives associated with Belgium
National Archives of Belgium
Rue de Ruysbroeck 2, 1000 Brussels
+ 32 (0)470 883 871 | Stephanie. Deschamps@arch. become
www.arch.be — www.facebook.com/archives.etat — www.arch.be/youtube Karel Velle, National Archivist of Belgium: “It was a long-winded procedure, but we are very pleased that the charter of Philip of Alsace finally earnings to Belgium. The records of the Abbey of Messines are, for the most part, still lacking, however. We hope that the news of this return enables all of us to track down more of these dropped records. ” In 1776, the particular abbey was secularized simply by Maria Theresia and transformed into a military institution. The properties of the abbey, amongst which were the most precious cartularies of the region, thus came into possession of the State. The eventful great this charter form the Abbey of Messines is well-known among medievalists. The abbey was founded in the region of Ypres in 1060 by Baldwin Sixth is v, Count of Flanders, great wife Adela, granddaughter associated with Hugh Capet. In the course of time, the abbey was presented with lands and rights. These benefits were usually granted through solemn acts written on parchment and sealed by the counts of Flanders, their entourage or other high dignitaries. Now that the particular deed is back on this aspect of the Atlantic, it will once more become part of the Mesen rental treasury preserved at the State Records in Bruges , the branch from the State Archives entrusted legally with the preservation of the general public archives formed or acquired by the Belgian State and it is legal predecessors on the area of the province of West Flanders. The Metropolitan Museum associated with Art: “The Met is happy that this important charter associated with Philip of Alsace can be returned to Belgium – with the assistance of the Consul General and the State Archives in Bruges – and we look forward to continuing our long-standing, collaborative relationships with co-workers and scholarly institutions in Belgium. ” Geertje Elaut (NL)
Communication | Press – State Archives of Belgium
National Archives of Belgium
Rue de Ruysbroeck 2, 1000 Brussels
+ 32 (0)472 44 60 26 | geertrui. elaut@arch. become
www.arch.be – www.facebook.com/rijksarchief – www.arch.be/youtube Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Government Cultural Institutions, host from the award ceremony: “First of all, I would like to thank the experts and archivists on both sides of the Atlantic for their outstanding work. This charter is a crucial part of our heritage, since it has travelled through background. We are happy to see it came back to Belgium. This come back also illustrates and fortifies the ties of companionship that we have with the United States. ” Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State with regard to Recovery and Strategic Assets, in charge of Science Policy: “The come back of this charter through collaboration with American colleagues displays how our heritage can strengthen the bonds among communities and countries. We are very grateful to the State Archivists for their great knowledge in this area. ” Upon Thursday 26 January 2023, the charter of Philip of Alsace, Count associated with Flanders, which was kept in the Benedictine Abbey of Messines (Mesen) in West Flanders, and which had disappeared at the beginning of the First World Battle, was officially handed over to the State Archives of Belgium. The charter had resurfaced at The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York Town (The Met) in December 2016. In early 2020, The Met agreed return this precious document, which is part of the cultural heritage, to Belgium. In past times decades, a few charters reappeared in private collections with public sales organized simply by prestigious auction houses all over Europe. These documents are occasionally sold at exorbitant prices. The moment they are informed of this kind of transaction, the State Archives associated with Belgium do everything probable to obtain the return of these products, whose status as inalienable treasures of the State will be imprescriptible.
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Thanks to the efficient support of the FPS Foreign Affairs, our diplomatic representative in the United States took delivery of the middle ages deed, bringing it back beneath the protection of the Belgian state. The suffering that will descended upon the region and the people of Ypres during the First World War is still in everyone’s mind. In addition to hundreds of thousands of injured plus killed soldiers and civilians, the war also introduced its ravages in the form of unprecedented destruction and plunder. In the context of these war criminal offenses, the abbey was ruined entirely, and all its possessions were scattered or obtained lost.
