Luttre

Luttre is a village in Belgium. It is part of the Pont-à-Celles municipality and located in the province of Hainaut, about 15 km north of Charleroi and 50 km south of Brussels along the Charleroi-Brussels Canal, railway line and motorway. Its name means crystal clear water. .

Following the conquest of Gaul (57B.C-52 A.D), Rome re-organised the new territories. Northern Gaul became the province BELGICA with Reims (F) as its capital city. This province was further divided into ‘civitates’. The area that would later become Luttre belonged to civitas Tungrorum with Tongeren (B) as the capital city, and was near civitas Nerviorum with Tournai (B) as capital.

The new rulers quickly developed a good road infrastructure (partly based on existing links). A ‘service station’ (Roman baths, taverns, stables….) have been discovered by archaeologists at Liberchies (a village located 3 km from Luttre) along the road “Bavai (F) – Tongeren (B) – Köln (D)”.

The first document mentioning the name of Luttre dates back to the end of the 13th century. It was an agreement between the seignior of Rêves (also seignior of Luttre) and the Monastery controlling the church of Celles (which would become Pont-à-Celles at the end of the 18th century). The agreement was signed in 1289 and from that time on, the priest of Celles would come thrice a week to hold services in a newly-built chapel in Luttre.

It is generally agreed that the name of Luttre comes from an old German word “lutere” which means “pure, transparent, limpid water”.

Luttre was a tax-haven in the duchy of Brabant, extending from Luttre, South of Nivelles (B) till St Hertogenbosch (NL) with Leuven (B) as the capital city. Luttre depended on Nivelles – duchy of Brabant – for administrative duties (e.g. taxes, justice) while the birth, marriage and death registers were kept by the priest of Celles which depended on Thuin (B), and thus to the principality of Liège (B). The church kept such registers at that time.

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Wikipedia