Aalst is The city of Aalst is older than thought, is evident from archaeological research in the St. Martin’s church. The oldest mention of Aalst in writings dating back to 868 – 869 after Christ, with the mention of ‘villa Alost’ in the goederenlijsten of the abbey of Lobbes. Archaeological investigation shows that there were already several settlements in Aalst.
Aalst is older than we think, and arose, not from one ‘Villa Alost’ that is situated on the Dender river (now the Old Fish market), located. These are the conclusions of archaeologists from research in the Sint-martinus Church in Aalst.
“The archaeological research in the Sint-martinus Church not only confirms what we already knew, but also shows that Aalst is older than we thought and that in the earliest history all of several cores. We will be on our story about the origin of our town, so a little rewrite”, says ships of Heritage, mr Karim Van Overmeire (N-VA).
Radiokoolstofdateringen
In the summer of 2017 were the archaeologists of SOLVA to get started in the St. Martin’s church of Aalst. The installation of a new heating system in the church gave the opportunity to over the whole church, numerous small slots. All data from the excavation are now being analysed and processed into a report. Especially the different radiokoolstofdateringen, carried out by the IRPA in Brussels, produced some remarkable results.
“We expected that something of the older kerkfases kept went, but had not thought that we have this ‘mini-excavation’ still such a good idea went to get the size and the view of the Roman church. For example, We can determine that the Romanesque church, built in the eleventh or the twelfth century, three naves, and probably more than 41 feet long,” says archaeologist Sigrid Klinkenborg of Solva.
700 ad
At one place in the celebration were the archaeologists dig deeper, and here they found some of the older pits. “The results of this dating places these pits in the Carolingian period. That is the period between 700/750 and 900 after Christ,” says the archaeologist. To date, this is the oldest dating within the church.
The earliest mention of Aalst in writings dating back to 868/869 with the mention of ‘villa Alost’ in the goederenlijsten of the abbey of Lobbes. “From the archaeological research now shows that also the zone of the church in that period already was intensively used. The history of Aalst began earlier than we thought and also the theory that Aalst has grown from a nucleus that is located at the Fish market/the Old Hospital (now the Stedelijk Museum) is increasing on the slope”, say the archaeologists. “Excavations at the Old Fish market, under the playground of Sint-Jozefscollege, and now also in the St. Martin’s church shows that ‘Villa Alosta’ is not the only town.”
