Until recently it was thought only a score of women had been persecuted in Ghent during the 16th and 17th centuries for being a witch. Fresh research reveals that this number is closer to three score. The City of Ghent has now decided to unveil a special memorial to these poor women later this year. Witch persecutions in Flanders were among the bloodiest in Europe. In recent years more and more countries have been coming to terms with this dreadful chapter in their history.
Ghent honours women convicted of witchcraft, “our image of the witch originated in Flanders”
Colin Clapson
Published:
The city authorities of the East Flemish capital will inaugurate a memorial plaque for the victims of the city's persecution of witches this autumn. The plaque will be unveiled at the Dark Gate that stands in the Prinsenhof, a street on the outskirts of downtown Ghent. Today the Dark Gate is also a memorial to Ghentians beheaded under Emperor Charles V and whose bodies ended up on a bonfire. Here their names are inscribed.
Ghent is commemorating nearly 60 victims of witch persecutions. Local children will also learn about this persecution during school lessons.
"Specialists have carried out thorough historical research in recent months. They have gone through the trial files and many archives” says alderman Sami Souguir. “On the basis, a list of 58 people, who became victims of the persecution of witches in the 16th or 17th century, has been compiled. That is a quite a few more than the 20 mentioned earlier. We are going to honour all these victims with a memorial plaque on the Prinsenhof. The same location, the Dark Gate or Donkere Poort, already commemorates the victims of religious wars occurring during the same period."
"The memorial plaque will feature the names of the victims, the date of their conviction, and how they died. We are going to mention not only those who were burned at the stake, but also those who died following torture."
A QR code will also be provided on the memorial plaque. Visitors can scan it to learn more.
Educational project
"We are going beyond a list of names. We want to explain the story behind this persecution properly. That is why our Historic Houses Department is working on a website as well as an educational project for schools.
A wider, international movement pressing for the recognition of the persecution of witches is under way.
In several countries a movement calling for reparations for the many women who were unjustly accused of witchcraft centuries ago and burned at the stake is gaining pace.
In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon apologised for the persecution of witches in her country, when she was still first minister of Scotland. There thousands of innocent women were accused of witchcraft, tortured and burned at the stake between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Last year in Catalonia, parliament pardoned more than 700 women convicted of witchcraft between the 15th and 18th centuries. There have also been initiatives in the United States, Germany, Switzerland and Norway to declare alleged witches innocent and restore their honour.
Many feel that Flanders too, where several hundred alleged witches were burned, must also take responsibility.
Persecution of witches in Flanders
Ghent is among a number of Flemish towns and cities like Nieuwpoort and Lier that are already on the case. According to theatre and literary scholar Edith Cassiers, a Flanderswide tribute is needed.
"Flanders is no innocent party” the scholar told VRT last year. “At least 250 women were murdered in Flanders. During the epoch of the Spanish Netherlands, in the 16th and 17th centuries, witch hunts in our regions were among the most extreme and bloodiest in Europe. It really was a form of mass murder in which over 60,000 people lost their lives across Europe.
And so honouring and public apologies are needed, Cassiers says. "We believe that pardoning women convicted of being a witch is much more than just a symbolic act. You cannot underestimate how important it is for the bereaved families, to grant those victims their dignity and humanity."
"We sometimes look at this persecution as something from the distant past, but even today we still look for a scapegoat when something happens that we cannot immediately explain like natural disasters or economic problems."
Edith Cassiers also called on schools, cultural institutions and heritage organisations to pay more attention to the persecution of witches in Flanders and Europe. "It is also important for society to learn from its past mistakes; to acknowledge our mistakes and to strive for a more tolerant and gender-equal society."
A while ago Ms Cassiers also wrote an open letter to Flemish prime minister Jan Jambon asking for a Flemish political pardon for women convicted of witchcraft. "Mr Jambon recognises that these are innocent victims and that it is a relevant issue, but he does not want Flanders to take responsibility for an injustice that took place 400 years ago," Cassiers explains.
"The stereotypical image of the witch, the old ugly woman with warts on her face, the hooked nose and pointed hat and the broomstick, we have today comes from Flanders. It was created at the end of the 16th century by a very popular print by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It is that image we still have of the witch today. So again, Flanders surely bears great responsibility," Edith Cassiers concludes.