The Cluny Museum, just a few minutes away from our hotels, has just opened its second exhibition of the spring – Merveilleux Trésor d’Oignies : Éclats du 13e siècle (Marvellous Treasures of Oignies: 13th century radiance), with an extraordinary collection of gold and silverware that has never been seen before outside of Belgium.

The treasures of Hugo d’Oignies are so special, they are recognised as one of the seven marvels of Belgium!

This rare collection dating from the 13th century was actually given to the King Baudouin Foundation only recently (in 2010) by the Sisters of Notre-Dame de Namur who had been its guardians for nearly 200 years.

Now, almost the entire collection, usually on show at the Musée provincial des Arts anciens du Namurois, has left Belgium for the first ever time – previously, only three pieces had been shown at the Louvre, and that was a hundred years ago!

You’ll be able to see around thirty pieces (the only ones that can ‘travel’, taken from the fifty or so pieces of the collection), mostly reliquaries but also a selection of fabrics.

The exhibition is also your chance to learn more about the techniques involved in creating gold and silverware, and the history of the priory of Saint-Nicolas d’Oignies, a community of Augustinian canons founded in the 12th century.

Linked with the exhibition there are:

— three conferences in French on 21st March, 4th April and 23rd May, with catchy names like “Marie d’Oignies ou la quête éperdue du Salut. Vie religieuse, mysticisme et premières béguines dans le Pays de Liège au début du XIIIe siècle“

— workshops for kids on certain Saturdays and Sundays, and

— a gallery of photos of the collection available in high definition, together with explanations about each item.

A catalogue of the exhibition (96 pages) is also available for around 22€ here at your local Amazon.

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The exhibition Merveilleux Trésor d’Oignies : Éclats du 13e siècle is at the Cluny Museum (here) until 20th October 2024

Open every day except Mondays from 9.30am-6.15pm (last ticket at 5.30pm)

Late night opening every first and third Thursday of the month from 6.15-9pm (last ticket 8.30pm) at the special rate of 10€

Admission: 12€ / 10€

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