Frizet is a hamlet on the edge of a stream, also called Frizet, that is a tributary of the Houyoux. The neighbourhood is located between two villages: Saint-Marc and Vedrin, situated 4 kilometres north of the town of Namur (in the French-speaking part of Belgium, Wallonia).

Entrance to the Farm of Frizet

History

edit

Although it has now been reduced to a mere hamlet that is part the residential suburbs of Namur, Frizet has a history that goes back a long way; for a long time, it was more important than the neighbouring villages Saint-Marc and Vedrin.

Frizet was an old parish whose first church would date from the 7th or 8th century (one of the first established parishes in the area of Namur). The derelict edifice that can be seen today is the church of Saint Martin, which dates from the 16th century. Still, some elements in the foundations suggest that another building was present earlier, dating from Roman Gaul (perhaps a villa).

Until the mid-20th century, locals would work in important iron, lead and pyrite mines, in quarries and even in a chemical plant.

Heritage

edit
  • The Farm of Frizet is an old manor. The different parts of the farm were built around a square courtyard and date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The farm now intensively breed Limousin cattle.
  • The Calvary of Frizet used to house a 16th-century painted wooden image of Christ. The old crucifix was moved into the church of Vedrin and was replaced with a newly manufactured one.
  • The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament dates from 1826.
  • The Church of Saint Martin, built in the 16th century, was closed for worship by the end of the 19th century because new churches, built in Vedrin and Saint-Marc, had been given the status of parish churches. Even though the church was listed as regional heritage in 1958, it decayed rapidly. When the north colonnade collapsed, a plan was voted to make the place secure. In another phase, the building should be consolidated in order to be opened to visitors.
  • Frizet station used to stand beside the old Namur-Tienen railway line, which has now been replaced with a RAVeL network footpath.
 
The ruins of Saint-Martin's church, Frizet