The Stone

When we think of torture, we usually think of the Middle Ages. Or exotic dictatorships. But did you know that torture was still taking place in the Steen in 1792! Philip Mertens experienced this. The judges decided on June 15, 1792, to torture Mertens. Two weeks later, on July 3, 1792, he was taken to the cellars of the Steen. He was fitted with a collar with sharp spikes that were fastened to the four corners of the cellar, and he had to sit on an unstable stool. The judges wanted him to confess to the murder of his neighbors. After intense pain, he confessed. But afterward, he retracted his confession. This happened several times. On September 20, 1793, over a year later after the initial tortures, Mertens was still sentenced to death for the murder of his neighbors. The next day, he was strangled and drawn and quartered in Antwerp's Grote Markt.

Dromos