Doornik (Hainaut, Belgium)
Doornik (Tournay) is a town in Belgium, where in the 16th century were found many adherents of the Reformation. The first victim of persecution was a former Augustinian monk, Hendrik van Westfalen, who was burned here on 13 July 1528. The total number of martyrs in this town was 227, only 30 of whom are listed in Mennonite or Reformed martyr books. Most of them were followers of Calvin, Calvinism being very strong in this town. In 1568 at least 92 Calvinists were put to death, and in the next year another 53.
There were six Mennonite martyrs of Doornik: Adriaen van Hee, Joos Meeuwesz, Willem the Hatmaker, Egbert the Hatmaker, Goossen the Hatmaker, and Lambert van Doornik, all in 1558. They were seized without resistance when a meeting was surprised in the forest of Obignies near Doornik. They were first brought to Doornik. Five of them were from abroad; only one was a native of Doornik. The trial was conducted at Bergen (Mons); after they had all remained steadfast and were sentenced to death, they were brought back to Obignies, where the execution took place; all six were burned at the stake in 1558, exact date unknown.
These six men may have been baptized by Leenaert Bouwens. According to his list this elder baptized eleven persons at Doornik in 1554-1556 and 20 in 1557-1561. The Inquisitor Pieter Titelman wrote in a letter, that in 1561 there was still a Mennonite congregation in Doornik. Of this congregation nothing further is known.
Bibliography
Besson, F. Edits de Charles-Quint. Buenos Aires, n.d: 12.
Hocquet, A. Tournai et le Tournaisis au XVIe Siecle, au point de vue politique et social. Brussels, 1906.
Meyhoffer, Jean. Le martyrologe protestant des Pays-Bas 1523-1597: étude critique. Brussels: Société d'Histoire du Protestantisme belge, 1907.
| Author(s) | Nanne van der Zijpp |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Doornik (Hainaut, Belgium)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Doornik_(Hainaut,_Belgium)&oldid=118096.
APA style
Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1956). Doornik (Hainaut, Belgium). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Doornik_(Hainaut,_Belgium)&oldid=118096.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 90. All rights reserved.
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