Marbais ( wa, Marbé) is a village of

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

and a district of the Belgian municipality of

Villers-la-Ville Villers-la-Ville (; wa, L' Abeye) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006, Villers-la-Ville had a total population of 9,572. The total area is 47.45 km2 which gives a population d ...

, located in the province of

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant (french: Brabant wallon ; nl, Waals-Brabant ; wa, Roman Payis) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Geography

The land registry divides Marbais into nine sections: Rigenée, Priesmont, le Monceau du Berger, l'Arbre de la Bruyère, le Bois Gilot, le Village, Cognée, Marbisoux et Gentil Sart.

History

The history of Marbais is intertwined with that of its lords. The Marbais family had very significant possessions in the valley of the River Thyle, an area long disputed between the Dukes of Brabant and the counts of

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

. They carefully cultivated both sides and thus found themselves vassals both of the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...

and of the

County of Namur Namur ( nl, Namen) was a county of the Carolingian and later Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries, a region in northwestern Europe. Its territories largely correspond with the present-day Belgian arrondissement Namur plus the northwestern part ...

. In 1146, Gauthier de Marbais and his mother endowed the Cistercian monks of Villers Abbey in the northern part of their lands. However, their lineage disappeared from the village in the 17th century when the daughter of the last Lord of Marbais sold his land to the neighbouring noble family, the 't Serclaes Tilly. One of his cousins, Lord La Haye-Brigode of Saint-Amand tried hard to recover the manor but failed. The Marbais lineage continued in the village of Saint-Amand into the second half of the eighteenth century. Throughout its history, the economy of the village was predominantly agricultural. A brewery existed in 1896 and employed 102 people. Today the village still has a few medium-sized businesses. The village of Marbais maintained several traditions over the centuries. It is said that Gerard de Marbais brought back several pieces of the Holy Cross from a crusade to Jerusalem. A bull of Pope Paul V, dated 15 May 1609, mentions the presence of the relic and grants indulgences related to acts of devotion. This relic still exists and is the subject of veneration during the 26 km Holy Cross Procession which takes place on the first Sunday in May. This procession involves two societies, the Fire Knights of the Holy Cross and the Royal Oath of San Sebastian. On the last Sunday in April, the Brotherhood organises the Shooting of the Royal Bird of Jirau, an archery contest which involves shooting a rooster placed on top of a 30-metre pole. The archer who manages to do so bears the title of king for a year and participates with 11 colleagues in the Holy Cross Procession.

Points of interest

*'' Museum of Old Tools'' or ''Oasthouse Museum'', (''Musée de "la Touraille"''). This museum exhibits hand tools representing a dozen trades. Woodworking is strongly represented. A collection of tools and utensils from rural life in 1900.

Notable people

* Léon Delune (1862-1941), the Belgian architect. * Philippe de Marbais (?-1568), who fought in the Dutch wars of independence. Former municipalities of Walloon Brabant Sub-municipalities of Villers-la-Ville {{WalloonBrabant-geo-stub