Everard 't Serclaes

Everard 't Serclaes (c. 1320 – 31 March 1388), lord of Cruyckembourg (Ternat), a famous citizen of Brussels, was made famous by his recovery of that city from the Flemish.

At the death of John III of Brabant on 5 December 1355, his daughter Joanna and her husband, Wenceslaus, succeeded to the Brabantine throne, but this was disputed by the count of Flanders, Louis de Male. Louis invaded Brabant and quickly seized Brussels. During the night of 24 October 1356, Everard scaled the city walls at the head of a group of patriots and drove the Flemings from the city. This enabled Joanna and Wenceslaus to make their Joyous Entry into the city.

Everard was later made schepen (alderman) of the city five times. He was assassinated for having defended the city's rights against the lord of Gaasbeek. Everard is commemorated by a monument carved by artist Julien Dillens (1849–1904). The monument is located on Charles Buls street, close to the town square.

It is said among locals that the statue of Everard 't Serclaes brings luck & grants the wishes of all who touch it. Many tourists touch (or rather rub) the statue, and this constant polishing keeps the body depicted in the statue in a shinning color compared to the rest of the sculpture. Other parts are also touched frequently by the tourists such as the face of an angel, a dog, and one of the shields.

External links

* [http://home.tiscali.be/pajottenland/fr/payot/serclaesf.htm 't Serclaes.]