Sleidinge is a village in the municipalities of

Evergem Evergem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of , Doornzele, Ertvelde, Evergem proper, , Kluizen, , Sleidinge and . In 2021, Evergem had a total population of 35,791. Dem ...

in the 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 ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is located about north-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

Sleidinge was originally located in a large heath and forest area. The village was first mentioned in 1220 as Scleidingha. The etymology is unclear. In 1248, the area was cut in two. The eastern part belonged to the Abbey of St. Bavo in Ghent. The western became the possession of the

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

. The parish used to belong to the

Diocese of Tournai The Diocese of Tournai () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. The diocese was formed in 1146, upon the dissolution of the Diocese of Noyon and Tournai, which had existed since the 7th century ...

until 1559 when it was transferred to the

Diocese of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels ...

. The French Revolution resulted in the reunification of both parts into a single municipality. In 1861, the Sleidinge railway station opened on the railway line from

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

. From the 1880s onwards, Sleidinge started to industrialise and contained five textile factories. During the 20th century, the village developed into a commuter's town. Sleidinge was an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged into

Buildings

The first St Joris and St Godelieve Church was built between 1260 and 1280, and burnt down in 1662. The current three aisled hall church was built in 1664. The tower was added in 1715, and in 1740, it received its needle spire. The church has an organ from around 1750 built by organ builders and is a protected monument.

Notable people

Johan De Muynck Johan De Muynck (born 30 May 1948) is a former Belgian professional road racing cyclist who raced from 1971 to 1983. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1978 Giro d'Italia. He was an outstanding climber. Other Grand Tour hig ...

(born 1948), former professional road racing cyclist *

Alfred Delcourt Alfred Delcourt (17 January 1929 – 12 December 2012) was a Belgian football referee. Refereeing career In 1965, Delcourt was promoted to officiate in the Belgian First Division A, the top flight of Belgian football. Two years later, he was ap ...

(1929–2012), football referee * Johan Geirnaert (born 1951), long-distance runner *

Wilfried Martens Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian Democratic and Flemish, Christian People ...

(1936–2013), politician and former prime-minister *

Jan Roegiers Jan Roegiers (1944–2013) was a professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and also university archivist, librarian and curator. He specialised in early modern academic history, and in particular the history of the pre-1797 University of Le ...

(1944–2013), professor, university archivist and librarian

Gallery

File:Sint-Joriskerk (Sleidinge) (34407) 2-06-2019 13-38-37.jpg, St Joris and St Godelieve Church File:Sleidinge (Evergem - Belgium) - Former Town hall.jpg, Former town hall File:Herenwoning - Weststraat - Sleidinge.jpg, Villa in Sleidinge File:Standbeeld Wilfried Martens - Sleidinge (1).jpg, Wilfried Martens statue

References

{{Authority control Evergem Populated places in East Flanders