Merovingian burial field

In the 50s and 60s, archaeologists, including the local schoolmaster Guillaume Victor Lux, as an employee of the National Excavation Service of Belgium, uncovered the remains of a Roman villa here. In the rubble of this villa they found a Merovingian burial field, of which no less than 120 graves were examined: 43 men, 44 women, 18 children and 35 looted graves.

The dead were buried with their feet facing east. Some grave goods were also found in the graves (pots, coins, weapons, beads, pins). The most beautiful find was 'the fibula of Rosmeer' or a cloak pin made of 18 karat gold decorated with a cross.

THE MEROVINGIANS
The Merovingians were a dynasty of Frankish kings who ruled over parts of Belgium, France and Germany between the 5th and 6th centuries. In 496, King Chlodovech was baptized and Christianity began an advance in the Merovingian empire.
The graves in Rosmeer date from the sixth and seventh centuries. The passing on of grave gifts is a pagan ritual that had not completely disappeared among the newly converted Merovingians.

Stichting Open Kerken