Astene

Astene is a village and deelgemeente in the municipality of Deinze in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The village is located along the Leie River and about 13 kilometres south-west of Ghent.The village was first mentioned in the 7th century as Athenneria. The etymology is unclear. The area has been inhabited since the Roman era, and graves has been discovered dating between 50 and 150 AD. The old parish church was located on the Kapelleberg, a dune near the Leie River, and was first mentioned in 1147. The village heerlijkheid used to belong to the Margraviate of Deinze, but the area also contained several other smaller heerlijkheden. In 1582, during the Dutch Revolt, the village was destroyed except for three houses and the area was nearly depopulated.

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