Emblem

Emblem has a special connection with Saint Gummarus who, according to legend, was born in Emblem at the beginning of the 7th century as the son of a wealthy family. He rose to become a courtier of the later Frankish king Pepin the Short. After his marriage, he returned to Emblem where he lived on as a landowner.

The most notable reference to this saint is, of course, the chapel named after him, the Saint Gummarus chapel. According to legend, St. Gummarus made the spring, where the first chapel was built in 1477, emerge for his thirsty mowers. The current Baroque chapel dates from the 17th century.

The beautiful 18th-century Alliers chapel is located in the hamlet of Alliers (‘old Lier’), which may form the oldest core of the city of Lier.

Another highlight of Emblem is the old town hall, which was built at the end of the 19th century by the renowned Antwerp architect Jaak Winders in neo-Flemish Renaissance style and now serves as the home of the municipal documentation center.

kristien r