Soignies — Secret of the Blue Stone

Your quest for the Secret of the Blue Stone begins in Soignies' Place Verte, the historic heart of the city. Since the Middle Ages, this central square has been the gathering point for many local events, and it is surrounded by buildings made of local blue stone. These stones, extracted from nearby quarries since the 19th century, give you a first glimpse of the raw material that made Soignies and Wallonia famous. Here, you collect the initial clues about the economic and architectural importance of Wallonia's Petit Granit.

As you head towards the Collegiate Church of Saint-Vincent, a Romanesque edifice built between 1030 and 1040, and classified as a major heritage site of Wallonia, you grasp the scale of local craftsmanship. Its 75-meter-high bell tower, one of Belgium's tallest, dominates the landscape, and its facades are entirely made of Soignies blue stone. It is here that Pierre le Bon, Prince-Bishop of Liège, could have admired the mastery of 11th-century builders, making this collegiate church a lasting testament to the use of blue stone.

Your journey then leads you to the Soignies Town Hall, a neoclassical building erected in 1784. This administrative center, with its local blue stone facade, illustrates the evolution of Soignies' architecture in the 18th century. Next, the Maison du Bailliage, the former residence of the seigniorial representative dating from the 17th century, offers a glimpse into Flemish Renaissance architecture, also adorned with carved blue stone elements, bearing witness to the princely judicial system under the Counts of Hainaut.

The Old Palace of Justice, built around 1830 after Belgian independence, and the Château de la Rocq, rebuilt in 1865 on 13th-century medieval foundations, continue to reveal the many facets of Soignies Blue Stone. The Palace of Justice, used for civil and criminal courts until the 20th century, incorporates blue stone for its foundations. The Château de la Rocq, with its facades blending brick and locally extracted blue stone, and its 2-hectare park, demonstrates the persistence of this material in prestigious constructions.

Your exploration concludes in Place du Perron, where the perron, a symbolic column of communal power erected in 1619, awaits you. Classified as a historical monument since 1952, it is surrounded by 17th-18th century gabled houses, all made of blue stone. This circuit will have allowed you to delve into the heart of Soignies' heritage, to understand the importance of Soignies Blue Stone, and to discover an essential part of Wallonia's history, its builders, and its communal liberties.