Everything about Belfry Of Tournai totally explained
The
belfry (
French:
beffroi) of
Tournai,
Belgium, is a freestanding bell tower of medieval origin, 72 meters in height with a 256-step stair. This landmark building is one of a set of
belfries of Belgium and France registered on the
UNESCO World Heritage List.
Construction of the belfry began around 1188 when
King Philip Augustus of
France granted Tournai its town charter, conferring among other privileges the right to mount a communal bell to ring out signals to the townsfolk.
The tower in its original form was evocative of the feudal
keep, with a square cross section and crenelated
parapet. It served in part as a watchtower for spotting fires and enemies. The growing city saw fit to expand the belfry in 1294, raising it by an additional stage, and buttressing its corners with four polygonal towerlets. A soldier statue was placed atop each towerlet, and a dragon icon surmounted the entire structure. The dragon, symbol of power and vigilance, also adorns other old tower tops in Belgium, including those of the
Cloth Hall of Ypres and the
belfry of Ghent.
A fire damaged the building in 1391. In the following years, the city obtained new bells to replace the ruined ones, and affixed gilded decorations to the newly restored top part of the tower:
mermen, banners, and a new dragon. The largest bell of this period, called
Bancloque, and the fire bell or
Timbre, have been preserved to this day. A
carillon was added in 1535.
In addition to its other roles, the belfry also served as a jail; some of its chambers housed prisoners until 1827.
The building underwent a major restoration in the mid-19th century. Another renovation campaign began in 1992, and lasted roughly a decade.
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