User:WiJCee/Montquintin

Montquintin is a little village located in the Walloon municipality (French: commune) of Rouvroy, in the province of Luxembourg (Wallonia). It is also situated in the small region of Belgian Lorraine known as the Gaume.

The whole site at Montquintin has been given special Walloon heritage status since 1996.

Geography
In the extreme south of the province and a stone throw away from the Belgian-French frontier, the village – which is situated on a 320-meter-high mount –, overlooks the region around Virton and the valley of the Ton (river). Montquintin is one of the many villages in Gaume - the small part of Belgian Lorraine. The rocky ridge forms a butte temoin (French: butte-témoin) far in the remote cuestas landscape which separates the region from the East to the West. It is oriented in the south and protects the area of the wind (French: région des vents). It is surrounded by the valleys of the Chevratte and the Ton – a tributary of the Chiers. Its altitude of its location provides a unique 360° view over the countryside, all the way to Arlon.

Etymology
Two meanings are possible: it could be the “Mount of Saint-Quentin” (French: Mont de Saint-Quentin) because the church was built in honour of this martyr. But, no document mentions the name. During the Christian era, they probably sanctified the site naming it after a certain Quentin (or Quintinus). The files mention first “Mont devant la Tore” (Mount in front of the tower), which is Latour (Montquintin was the fiefdom). “Mont Quentin” is the next name. The older origin of Mons Quintini could be related to a Roman villa in the valley of the place called “Argenfontaine”. This is the most plausible etymology. The inhabitants are called “Les Montquintins”, not “Montquintinois”.

The tithe farm
The tithe farm was built at Montquintin in 1765. This three-block farm includes a main residential building, a barn and a cowshed. Made of country stones, it is an example of the traditional rural architecture in Gaume. The stone tiles were covered with white lime to protect them from bad weather. The roof was built with Roman tiles and is flanked by a small slope under it. A hayloft sits atop of the barn and the cowshed. The Latin cross on the chimney shows the local religious beliefs during this time. At the end of the system of privileges and the French Revolution, a school was built in the 19th century. Unfortunately for the children, it ended in 1899. Nowadays, the tithe farm belongs to the Gaume Museum in Virton. The building became the “Museum of Rural Life and School of Olden Times” (French: Musée de la Vie paysanne et Ecole d’autrefois). The furniture and the tradition of Gaume of bygone days, as well as an ancient classroom were preserved.

The Saint-Quentin church
The Roman-styled Saint-Quentin church is situated at the heart of hill cemetery. It is 12 meters long and 5.20 meters wide. The walls are 1.10 meters thick. One of the church’s characteristics is its lack of a bell tower. According to the legend, it is said that it’s to resist the wind which persistently blows on the rocky ridge. But, the lightning bold would be the reason of its absence. Indeed, the church is situated on the highest top of the ridge. In the 15th century, a crossed-vault chapel was added to the church and a large flamboyant gothic-styled window gave more light. A special door, which was built near the window (now filled back), was a private access for seigneurs to the church. There, in the form of funeral slab, is placed the cenotaph of Monsignor of Hontheim, known as Justinus Febronius, who died in the castle, but was buried in the Cathedral of Trier.

HIC. IN.CASTRO.OBIIT. II. SEPTEMBR.ANN.MDCCXC. IOANNES.NICOLAUS.AB.HONTEIM. EPISCOPUS. MYRIOPHITANUS. SUFFRAGANEUS.TREVIRENSIS. DOMINUS.IN.MONTQUINTIN. CONDOMINUS.IN.DAMPICOURT. ET. ROUVROIX. TREVIRIS.XXVII.IAN.MDCCI.NATUS. IBIDEM.BIDUO.POST.MORTEM.TUMULATUS. IN.PROSPERIS.ET.ADVERSIS. SEMPER.SIBI.PRAESENS. AMICUS.CONSTANS. PRUDENS.ET. PIUS. PATER.SUORUM. PATER.PAUPERUM. PATRUE. AVE.ATQUE.VALE. R[equiescas].I[n].P[ace].

It means: ''“Here, in the castle, died on 2 September 1790, Jean-Nicolas of Hontheim, bishop of Myriophyte, suffragant in Trier, seigneur of Montquintin, co-seigneur of Dampicourt and Rouvroy. Born on 27 January 1701 in Trier and buried two days after his death. In prosperity and in disaster, always awaken, loyal friend, wise and devout, father for his people, father for the poor. My uncle, goodbye. R[est]. I[n]. P[eace]!”''

This epitaph was written by his nephew and heir Jean-Jacques of Hontheim, who was born on 4 December 1741 in Trier and died on 3 May 1821 in Montquintin.

The nephew, who lived in the castle and in Virton, is buried in the cemetery where, on his gravestone, on the following epitaph you can still read:

HS [Jésus Sauveur des Hommes]. CY GIT LE CORPS DE JEAN-JACQUES DE HONTHEIM, NE A TREVES LE 4 DECEMBRE 1741, DECEDE A MONTQUINTIN LE 3E DE MAI 1821. EN SON VIVANT, CONSEILLER AULIQUE DE L’ELECTEUR DE TREVES. VOUS QUI LISEZ CECI, PRIEZ DIEU AFIN QUE CELUI QUI METTOIT TOUT SON HONNEUR A ETRE FIDELE SERVITEUR DE DIEU ET LE PERE DES PAUVRES JOUISSE DU REPOS ETERNEL.

The seigniorial farm and his dovecote
The castle had outhouses like a farm and its enclosed garden. In the ancient barnyard, remains of a seigniorial dovecote (17th century) can still be observed even though it needs restoring. This dovecote is a rare trace in Gaume and demonstrates the privileges of the seigneurs of this time.

Lorraine geography

 * Lorraine is the southernmost region in Belgium. Unlike Ardennes, which contains many plateaus, Lorraine is characterised by an alternation of three slopes, known as cuestas, and three valleys where rivers pass through: Semois, Vire and Ton. The larger down the valleys varies whereas the slopes are 400 meters high, which isn’t too high.
 * Lorraine is part of the Parisian sedimentary basin.
 * The term “Lorraine gaumaise” has only been used recently to mark the orographic and ethnographical similarities between Gaume in Belgium and Lorraine in France. Indeed, the other side of the third called cuesta “bajocienne”, that forms the frontier between both countries, overlooks the valley of Chiers and the surrounding French villages: Longuyon, Marville, Montmédy, Stenay, etc.

The rocks of the region dip towards the south and flush in successive monoclinal strips. They are made up of hard and soft layers which, due to the erosion of the waterways, will give a relief called hilly area.