Belgium recovered this Thursday a historic and precious document, the charter of Philippe d’Alsace, count of Flanders, which had disappeared more than a century ago. It was returned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City (Met).
This charter, which dates from the 12th century, was officially handed over in the State Archives at a ceremony at Egmont Palace in Brussels.
The ceremony took place this Thursday morning in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hadja Lahbib (MR), the Secretary of State for Recovery and Strategic Investments, in charge of Science Policy, Thomas Dermine (PS), the United States Ambassador to Belgium, Michael Adlerand the director of the Met, Pierre Terjani.
The charter of Philippe d’Alsace (1128-1168) was preserved in the Benedictine abbey of Messines, in West Flanders, and disappeared at the beginning of the First World War. The document resurfaced at the Met in December 2016.
The New York Museum has accepted at the beginning of 2020 to return this precious document to Belgiumwhich is part of the national cultural heritage, according to Foreign Affairs.
With Belga – Photo: Belga / Eric Lalmand
