Cannonball in St. Nicholas Church

A stone’s throw from Brussels’ Place and right next to the Stock Exchange, Saint Nicholas Church catches the eye of many tourists. Few enter the church, however. But if they did, they might discover a cannonball embedded in a wall. Accompanied by a stone engraved “1695,” this spot bears witness to the French bombardment of Brussels from August 13-15, 1695.

The 17th century was to be a “dark century” in what is now Belgium, due to a series of wars. France was engaged in a policy of expansion, and took the town of Namur in 1692. In July 1695, the city was besieged by William III of Orange. To restore his image, the King of France, Louis XIV, ordered the Duke of Villeroi to bombard the cities of Bruges and Ghent. The Duke then proposed an attack on Brussels; his hope was that William III’s troops would leave Namur to defend Brussels.

The bombardment took place from August 13 to 15. Very quickly, fire spread throughout the town center, facilitated by the narrow streets and wooden houses. While the human toll was low, 4,000 to 5,000 houses were destroyed. The attack shocked the whole of Europe, including France; it was the first time that the civilian population had been deliberately targeted (until then, bombings had been aimed at destroying fortifications and military infrastructures, leaving the rest of the city intact). Rebuilding Brussels took several years.