Medieval charter from Messines from New York back to Belgium

The handover ceremony took place at the Egmont Palace in the presence of Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR), State Secretary for Science Policy Thomas Dermine (PS) and United States Ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler.

The charter, written in Latin, was donated 847 years ago by Count of Flanders Philip van de Elzas to the Benedictine abbey of Messines in West Flanders. There the charter is kept for years, but when the First World War breaks out, disaster strikes. The abbey is completely destroyed and looted, resulting in the loss of its belongings. (continue reading below the photo)

State treasure

Occasionally a number of deeds turn up in private collections or at public sales of renowned auction houses. It is one of the core tasks of the State Archives to recover those documents, which are regarded as inalienable state treasures. In 2016, they were informed that the medieval charter was likely in the Met’s collections.

The American Museum acquired the charter in good faith in 1923 as a gift from Bashford Dean, the museum’s Curator of Arms and Armor. Dean bought the certificate from an unregistered source in Europe. After a thorough investigation, it turned out that the charter is part of the archives of the abbey of Messines. The Met then decided to transfer the certificate to Belgium free of charge. The piece is now definitively transferred to the State Archives of Bruges.

Crypt

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Mesen Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey, founded in 1057 by Countess Adela van Messines and elevated to an abbey in 1060. After the closure in 1776, the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk of the abbey was used by the parish as the Sint-Niklaaskerk. Its crypt is the main remnant of the old abbey.