3 Best Sights in Nivelles, Western Wallonia

This grand building dates back to the mid-7th century when an abbey was founded here by the ancestors of Frankish king Charlemagne. Its first abbess, Gertrude, was his great aunt and was famously gentle in her manner. The abbey was among the most important in Europe right up until its closure by the French Revolutionary army in 1798. It is a magnificent structure, with a rising western facade topping five stories and a giant nave, beneath which you can visit the archaeological excavation where Charlemagne's first wife, Himeltrude, is buried. 

This 18th-century mansion was constructed on the site of a former church as a refuge for liberated Christian prisoners. By the 1800s it had fallen into private hands and now holds the city's collection of paintings, sculptures, and furniture.

This historic part of town was once popular with those walking the pilgrim trail to Santiago de Compostella via the Netherlands or Germany trail. They would visit in order to venerate the relics of Ste. Gertrude at the church. It was later adopted by local brewers. Hostelries once lined the streets here, and you can still see the scallop shell (symbol of St. James) on various facades along rue du Coq and rue Bayard. More recently, the town has traced where the Brabant Way and Gallia Belgica Way used to meet up here, with maps to follow local sections of the trail found in the tourist office. Ivy-strewn stairs also lead out of the St. James area via rue du Wichet to the pretty Dodaine Park.