Bellem is a village and ''

deelgemeente A (, literally ''sub-municipality''), or section (), is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 January 1961 bu ...

'' (sub-municipality) in the municipality of Aalter in the Belgian province of

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

. The village was originally called ''Bethlehem''. Bellem is located about west of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

History

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

Bellem was founded around 1240 as Bethlehem. It was first mentioned as Bellem in 1291. The village was a ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch language, Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and Judiciary, judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking ...

'', but used to contain five enclaves containing farms belonging to Schuurvelde. In 1577, Bellem and Schuurvelde were merged into a single ''heerlijkheid''. Around 1650, a castle was built, and Bellem was elevated to

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

in 1655. Between 1613 and 1623, the was dug and two forts were constructed by the Spanish near Bellem. This resulted in frequent attacks first by the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

and from 1648 onwards by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The arrival of the railway and later the motorway E40 did not result in significant growth, and Belem remained a rural agricultural village.

Buildings and sights

The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Geboorte Church is a three aisled church without

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s with a built-in tower. The original church was built in the second half of the 16th century, and the lower part of the tower is still original. In 1847 and between 1870 and 1874, the church was enlarged and received its current shape. The church burnt down on 10 September 1944 and was rebuilt in 1950 according to its original design. Mariahoeve Castle was originally an estate of the Lord of Bellem and Schuurvelde. Around 1650, a castle was built. The castle had turned to ruin by the mid 18th century. In 1808, the domain was bought by the industrialist who rebuilt the castle in 1815. The building was redesigned in neoclassic style between 1855 and 1860. In 1963, the castle was bought by the congregations of Sisters of the Diocese of Ghent who use it as a retirement home and have renamed the castle Mariahove.

Notable people

* Flor Grammens (1899–1985), politician and Flemish activist

Gallery

File:Dorpswoning Bellemdorpweg 20.JPG, Little supermarket File:Hof Krekelhoek.jpg, Farm in Bellem File:Weg naar vaart oude foto.JPG, Old postcard (before 1940) File:Kasteel Bellem - België.jpg, Mariahoeve Castle

References

{{Authority control Aalter Former municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders