Saintes is a village and a district in the municipality of

Tubize Tubize (; ) is a municipality and city of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Tubize had a total population of 22,335. The total area is 32.66 km2 which gives a population density of 684 inhabita ...

, in

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant ( ; ; ) 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 the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut. Walloon Br ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The history of the village is closely linked to the legend of Saint

Reineldis Reineldis (also Reinhild, Reinaldes, Rainelde among others; ''c.'' 630 – ''c.'' 680) was a saint of the 7th century, martyred by the Huns. Life Reineldis was born in a place called ''Condacum'' (which is identified with either Condé-sur-l'Esca ...

, a locally venerated saint from the 7th century. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

Lobbes Abbey Lobbes Abbey () was a Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Lobbes, Hainaut, Belgium. The abbey played an important role in the religious, political and religious life of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, especially around the year 1000. The ...

had large holdings in the area. The village retained its rural character until the end of the 20th century, after which it has developed into a popular residency for commuters working in Brussels. The village church is a late Gothic edifice, dating from the middle of the 16th century (the tower was erected in 1553), incorporating remains of an earlier, Romanesque church in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

walls. It contains several historical furnishings, and a chapel dedicated to Saint Reineldis. In the village there is also a sacred well, dedicated to the saint.

References

External links

* {{WalloonBrabant-geo-stub Tubize