More than a week ago, white smoke appeared in two places in the world when the new pope, Leo XIV, was chosen. Not only from the chimney of the Sixtine chapel, it was circulating upwards, also in Oudenbosch there was smoke above the place where there is an exact scale model of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. But how does that basilica end up here and what special band does this village have with the pope? It is a bloody story.
Halfway through the nineteenth century, Italy consists of a patchwork of (city) states. King Victor Emanuel II and Giuseppe Garibaldi is a thorn in the eye. They want to grant all those areas into a large Italian kingdom. That is certainly not without a struggle. Pope Pius IX sees his state, which is currently greater than the Netherlands. In 1860 he calls on unmarried, young Catholic men from all over the world to help him.
This call is given massive hearing, certainly also because Mr. Pastor fervently argues for this during church services. Around 11,000 men register, including more than 3100 Dutch people. They thus form the largest group in this papal army that is given the name Zavi Pontifici (Zouaven van de Pope). That name does not just fall out of the blue. The French army already has a part of Zouaven. These are Berbers from Algeria of the Zououwa tribe, which is corrupted to Zouaven. The uniforms are therefore very similar.
The volunteers gather in Oudenbosch, travel on to Brussels for the inspection and then head for Rome. They receive a short training and in the beginning they have to wait. But that changes quickly and they compete with the armies of Garibaldi. They threaten to lose it, but the French gave a helping hand in 1867.
Battle of Mentana
And that turns out not to be too early for a moment. In that year the Zouave army experiences its peak. On November 3, they chop Garibaldi’s troops at Mentana and bring him a sensitive defeat. That costs 144 Dutch people, including many people from Brabant. For example, Evert Heijmans from Dussen, Henricus van Hooren from Den Bosch and Henricus Joannes van den Dungen from Oisterwijk are killed. Their names can be read, together with a total of eighteen Dutch people, on the Zouavenmonument at the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome.
In 1870 the French withdraws because war breaks out with Germany. That ensures that Garibaldi has free play and that year he conquers Rome. The Zouave Army meets again on Sint-Pietersplein and gets the blessing of the pope. He is so satisfied with their brave struggle that he will remove their sins and those of their descendants and ensures them in this way of a place in heaven.
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The army is then dissolved and the warriors return to the Netherlands. They don’t get a warm welcome there. They lose their Dutch nationality because they have served in the army of another country and are looked at with the neck. But among Catholics they are and remain heroes.
Pro Petri Sede
Priest Willem Hellemons has already decided to build a copy of the Saint Peter in the Zoudenbosch, the Basilica of the Saints Agatha and Barbara. Construction begins in 1865 and the church is inaugurated in 1892. In 1911 a monument appeared on the square in front of the house for the papal fighters. An association is also established of which originally only descended from the Zouaven may be a member. The Dutch department of this Pro Petri Sede has as a home base, how could it be otherwise, Oudenbosch. This club is still highly regarded by the Pope and representatives regularly go ‘on the coffee’ in Rome. A Zouavenmuseum can also be visited in the village.
Past
Aflied past is a weekly section about fun, remarkable or funny facts from the rich Brabant past. If you have a tip, mail to: [email protected].