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Le Perron

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baroudeur2004
baroudeur2004
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Le Perron

  • October 21, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by baroudeur2004 from Liege, Belgium
Le Perron

If you have come from Place Saint Lambert by walk to go to Hors Château, you will inevitably arrive on the Place du Marché where you will notice the Perron, a stone column on a tree-step pedestal with angles resting on lying lions and on top of the column, the Three Graces, a pine cone and a cross. Even though it is certainly not the most beautiful monument of Liege, it has a huge historical significance for the people of Liege and it is nowadays the symbol of the city and is represented on the armorials of the City and was also once on the coins of the Prince-Bishopric of Liege. Everyone (or almost) in Liege knows where the Perron is located and what it means to them: the freedom of Liege.

The origin of the Perron is obscure and probably pagan. The Perron (whose name probably comes from the Latin word pietra, meaning stone) was the symbol of the justice of the Prince-Bishop of Liege. Over the centuries, the Perron became the symbol of the liberties and local autonomy under the Ancien Régime (from the end of the Middle Ages to the French Revolution in 1789). It was once a pillory where during the Prince-Bishopric times, where justice was done, where new laws and edicts were promulgated and also where the prices were published and the banishments proclaimed. Until the French Revolution, an official act did not have any value if it was not "shouted" in front of the Perron.

In 1468, the duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold destroyed the city. He ordered that the Perron be disassembled to take it to Bruges where it was exposed as a witness of the extinction of the Pays de Liege (Country of Liege). In 1477, Charles the Bold was beaten with its army in front of Nancy (France). The following year, his daughter, Marie of Burgundy, restored the Perron to the inhabitants of Liege. The monument then became the emblem of the autonomy, the freedom and the privileges of the city.

Even though Liege and its former Prince-Bishopric are now an integral part of Belgium, many people in Liege still feel more Liégeois than Belgians and any person born and living in Liege will tell you that he would not live anywhere else. The Perron epitomises the pride of the inhabitants of Liege for their beloved city.

The Perron now rests on a trendy square, the Place du Marché, in front of the City Hall and is seen by thousands of people everyday. Some local associations and schools have adopted the Perron as their logo. I am really proud of my city and its symbol of liberty!

From journal Around the Fortified Walls of Liege

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