A symbol of identity
On 23 August 1914, claiming that they had been fired upon by francs-tireurs, German troops put Dinant to fire and sword. 674 civilians were shot and more than a thousand houses burned. At the heart of the inferno, the onion dome collapsed.
The question of the dome arose again. The architect Veraart drew up a design for Gothic spires. This passionate debate took place in the context of rebuilding a country deeply wounded by war.
Supporters of stylistic unity were driven by the ambition to rebuild a Belgium more beautiful and prouder than ever. The stricken population, by contrast, clung to its heritage and familiar image. On both sides there was the same determination to ‘rise again’, but expressed through different feelings and symbols.
The supporters of the onion dome prevailed. The rebuilt bell tower acquired an emblematic value. It embodied the martyrdom of a town and its determination to rise again, in every sense. Only the carillon was still missing. Its restoration in the summer of 2014 marked the completion of a long process of reconstruction.
Dinant, 1920. Demonstration in favour of rebuilding the onion dome.