Metadata: Series P (Religions)
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- City Archives of Ghent
- Holding institution (official language):
- Stadsarchief Gent
- Postal address:
- Dulle-Grietlaan 12, 9050 Gentbrugge
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)9 266 57 60
- Web address:
- http://www.gent.be/zwartedoos
- Email:
- stadsarchief@stad.gent
- Reference number:
- ArCity-Ghent-P
- Title:
- Series P (Religions)
- Title (official language):
- Reeks P (Erediensten)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Stad Gent; Ville de Gand; City of Ghent
- Date(s):
- 1795/1914
- Extent:
- 491 files
- Scope and content:
-
This fonds contains material related to the organisation and supervision of recognised religions in the city of Ghent. The correspondence relevant to our guide deals with the following topics: subsidies to (file no. 17; year 1831) and regulations of (no. 25; 1806-1821) the Jewish religion; the activity (no. 28; 1817-1876) and distribution of funds (no. 26; 1810-1813) of the Jewish ‘church council’ (kerkraad); the appointment of the board of administrators of the synagogue (no. 40 and no. 42, resp. 1890 and 1888-1903); the appointment of treasurers of the Jewish community (no. 464; 1878-1903); the appointment of Jewish ministers of religion (no. 439; 1872-1880); the allowances for housing (no. 347; 1846-1848 and no. 351; 1842-1849) and salaries (no. 438; 1840-1912) of the ministers of religion; the population of the Jewish community of Ghent (no. 74; 1802-1888).
General annual accounts of the board of the synagogue (for the years 1877-1914) can be found in file no. 122; no. 98 contains the annual budget for the years 1876-1914, and no. 145 contains correspondence related to the budgets and annual accounts (dated 1874-1901). In file no. 293 we find correspondence of the board of the synagogue concerning a loan (1901-1912). This fonds also contains archival material (mainly correspondence) related to specific matters, such as: the Decree of the Provisional Government of Belgium concerning freedom of religion and philosophical conviction (no. 11; dated 1830); correspondence of the Executive of the province East Flanders to the city concerning the Jewish schools for the poor (no. 27; 1817) and of the Jewish community to the city related to subsidies for poor relief organised by the Jewish community (no. 29; 1823); correspondence between the cities of Namur and Ghent related to subsidies of the Jewish religion (no. 31; 1871-1875), a letter of the board of the Jewish community to the city, regarding the litigation between the Jewish community and the kerkfabrieken of Sint-Baafs, Sint-Jacobs and Heilig-Kerst concerning the cemetery located near the Dampoort (no. 30; 1845); correspondence about the bequest of Pauline Herman (no. 182; 1888-1889), correspondence regarding the alleged negligence of the Jewish ministers of religion (no. 440; 1900) and concerning a litigation between members of the Jewish community related to the possession of ritual objects (no. 421; 1808). Note that this fonds is supplemented by the fonds “Reeks XV (Erediensten)” (BE / SAG / XV).
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The municipality is one of the levels of government with which citizens most often come into contact. Its tasks and competences were first established by the decree of 14 December 1789, and by the order of 19 Frimaire year IV [1795-96]. After Belgian independence, the legal framework was provided by the Gemeentewet of 1836 and later the ‘Nieuwe Gemeentewet’ (1988). Since 2002, the organic law regarding municipalities is a competence of the Regions. Until 1980, municipalities were supervised by the provincial and central authorities. Today, there is a division of powers between the federal and regional governments. A municipality is led by a mayor, who is also the head of the local police. He/she is assisted by a college of aldermen, selected from the municipal council. Currently, there are 589 municipalities in Belgium. Before the large-scale fusions in the 1970s – in other words, for a large part of Belgian history – there were 2359 municipalities. The municipality had/has, among others, competences regarding the management of its assets, institutions and staff; municipal revenue and expenditure; Civil Registry; health and safety in public places; urban planning and environment; public works; militia; education; elections etc. This is reflected in the sources held in municipal and city archives. Important general sources include the (sometimes published) minutes of meetings and records of the municipal council and college of aldermen (often indexed by subject). We also refer to all kinds of administrative reports and general correspondence. The series of sources of the Civil Registry (e.g. birth, marriage and death certificates, population registers, registers of arrival and departure) are crucial for historical research on individuals. Relevant for this guide are notably the alien registers (since 1933), and the alien files preserved in some larger cities. Of major importance are also the accounts, correspondence and other material regarding the recognised religions. They contain information on their operation, budgets, assets but also the appointment of ministers, donations to religious communities, various conflicts etc. Building permits and files regarding environmental permits contain information and usually blueprints of buildings. Lastly, in many municipal and city archives there are specific series of sources regarding policy during the First and Second World War. We mention e.g. the various anti-Jewish ordinances, documents regarding the spoliation of the Jews, the so-called Jodenregister (register of Jews), correspondence related to the implementation of the anti-Jewish policies etc. (J. Art & E. Vanhaute (ed.), Inleiding tot de lokale geschiedenis van de 19de en de 20ste eeuw, Gent, Mens & Cultuur, 2003; P. van den Eeckhout, “De gemeenten en de lokale openbare instellingen”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 31-92.)
- Access points: locations:
- East Flanders
- Ghent
- Namur
- Access points: persons/families:
- Herman, Pauline
- Finding aids:
- There is an unpublished inventory. It can be accessed on the website of the city archives.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://www.gent.be/eCache/THE/2/119.html
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
