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Last modified: 2013-12-11 by ivan sache
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Flag of Frasnes-lez-Anvaing - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 28 January 2007
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The municipality of Frasnes-lez-Anvaing (11,078 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 11,242 ha) is located 20 km north-east of Tournai, in the hilly part of Western Hainaut known as "Pays des Collines" (Land of the Hill). The municipality of Frasnes-lez-Anvaing was formed in 1976 by the merging of the former municipalities of Frasnes-lez-Buissenal, Anvaing, Arc-Ainières, Buissenal, Cordes, Dergneau, Ellignies, Forest, Hacquegnies, Herquegies, Montrœul-aux-Bois, Moustier, Œudeghien, Saint-Sauveur and Wattripont. From 1971 to 1976, Arc-Ainières and Wattripont formed the municipality of Arc-Wattripont.
Frasnes was known in 1017 as Fraxinetum ad Buxeriam and in 1122 as
Fraine. The name of the village is therefore derived from the Latin
word fraxinus, "an ash tree" (in French, frêne). In the 12th
century, Frasnes belonged to the abbey of Saint-Amand; it was then an
important pre-industrial center, with a clothiers' guild that existed
until the end of the 18th century. The main domain of Frasnes,
vassal of the Barony of Antoing, was ran in the XIIth century by the
lords of Frasnes, who bore canting arms, D'or à un frêne de sinople
("Or an ash tree vert"). It was later divided into two domains. The first
domain of Frasnes belonged to the lords of Leuze; in 1439, it was ran
by Jacques de La Hamaide, from an ancient lineage known since the
13th century. The Gelre Armorial shows "canting" arms for the lord of
La Hamaide, D'or à trois hamaides de gueules. A hamaide is a fess
couped (originally a barrier). It is not known if the arms are really
canting or if their bearer was nicknamed "the knight with the hamaide",
later lord de La Hamaide. Anyway, these arms were used by the
municipality of La Hamaide until included into the municipality of
Ellezelles in 1976.
The second domain of Frasnes, called Chasteler, was ran by the Cuinghien family, that owned several other small domains in
the neighborhood. The lord of Cuinghien bore D'argent à quatre
chevrons de gueules ("Argent four chevrons gules"); in 1505, Jehan de
Marchenelles became lord of Frasnes by marrying Agnès de Cuinghien; in
1559, Jacques de Marchenelles, bearing D'argent au sautoir de gueules
("Argent a saltire gules") was lord of Frasnes-lez-Buissenal. The domain
was transfered by marriage to Count Arnould II de Saint-Genois in 1572;
the lineage of Saint-Genois, that kept Frasne until the French
Revolution, seems to have taken the name of a domain they owned near
Kortrijk in the 13th century and whose patron saints were Sts. Genois (Genesius) and Denis (Dionysius).
Anvaing is known for its castle, mentioned for the first time in 1127. The capitulation of Belgium was signed in the castle on 28 May 1940.
Source: Municipal website, including Histoire d'un bourg rural - Frasnes-lez-Buissenal by Willy Delhaye
Ivan Sache, 28 January 2007
The flag of Frasnes-lez-Anvaing is red with a blue saltire
bordered in white and with five white roses, one in the middle of the
saltire and one in the middle of each arm of the saltire.
According to Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et
germanophones [w2v03], the flag was proposed by the Heraldry and
Vexillology Council of the French Community as:
Rouge chargé d'une croix diagonale bleue liserée de blanc et chargée
de cinq roses blanches.
The flag is a banner of the municipal arms.
Frasnes-lez-Anvaing uses the coat of arms granted to the former
municipality of Frasnes-les-Buissenal by Royal Decree of 29 March 1961.
Since no historical seal was known, the municipality applied for the
arms of the last lords, the Saint-Genois:
De gueules au sautoir d'azur, bordé d'argent chargé de cinq
quintefeuilles du même, l'écu sommé d'une couronne à treize perles,
dont trois relevées et tenu par deux griffons d'or, lampassés de
gueules (Gules a saltire azure fimbriated argent charged with five cinquefoils of
the same. The shield topped by a crown with thirteen pearls [...] and
supported by two griffins or langued gules).
Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 28 January 2007
