Tournai — Seal of the Buried King

Your quest for the seal begins on the Grand-Place of Tournai, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000. This historic center, paved with local blue stones, has been the vibrant heart of the city since the Middle Ages, hosting weekly markets since 1192, a tradition established by Baldwin V of Hainaut. It is here, amidst 17th and 18th-century buildings, that the first clues to your royal lineage await you, hidden in architectural details or the tales of merchants who once roamed this 1.5-hectare square.

Proceed to Notre-Dame Cathedral of Tournai, consecrated in 1171 and also a UNESCO site since 2000 for its unique Romanesque architecture in Belgium. Its five 83-meter-high towers dominate the skyline and witnessed the iconoclasm of 1566 before being restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. It was beneath its foundations that the tomb of Childeric I, who died in 481, was excavated in 1653 by Alexandre de Berghes. Here, messages carved in stone will guide you to places where your seal might have been hidden.

Your journey then takes you to Saint-Brice Church, a former collegiate church founded in the 10th century by Bishop Hélénard, rebuilt in Gothic style between 1610 and 1624. Its 50-meter bell tower, restored after the 1940 bombings, houses a 17th-century Baroque altarpiece depicting the Virgin. Nearby, Rue de l'Yser, a cobbled street lined with 18th-century houses, connects you to the Grand-Place and the Scheldt quays. This district, an integral part of the UNESCO site, conceals riddles related to Tournai's history and events commemorated by the 1920 plaque, recalling the Battle of the Yser (1914-1918).

Walk along the Scheldt Quays, developed in the 19th century along this vital waterway since Roman times, when Tournai was known as Turiacum. The historic port, with its 1830 locks, connected Tournai to Antwerp and was used for grain trade in the Middle Ages along its 2 km of central quays. Then, discover the Hôtel de Ville of Tournai, built between 1662 and 1675 in Flemish Baroque style. It incorporates the UNESCO Belfry from 1188 (rebuilt 1522), 72 meters high with a carillon of 42 bells, seat of communal power since 1192 and classified monument in 1936. These places, witnesses to your past, hold clues to the seal's final hiding place.

Your quest culminates at the Pont des Trous, a 13th-century river fortification (around 1290) 140 meters long over the Scheldt, restored in 1993 after its partial demolition under Napoleon in 1810. Its 13 arches and two 18-meter watchtowers, classified in 1941, lead you to the Tour Henri VIII, built in 1538 by the King of England during his occupation of Tournai (1513-1546). 25 meters high, it is a remnant of the bastioned fortifications and was returned to Belgium in 1815. It is within these ultimate ramparts, symbols of power and conquest, that Childeric I's seal awaits you, revealing the full extent of Tournai's history, a UNESCO City of Music 2023, and its central role in Hainaut.