Metadata: Public supervision of religions. Public works
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Archives of the City of Liège
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archives de la Ville de Liège
- Postal address:
- Rue de Velbruck 9, 4000 Liège
- Phone number:
- +32 4 221 66 55
- Email:
- archives@liege.be
- Reference number:
- ArCity-Liege-Tutelle publique des cultes
- Title:
- Public supervision of religions. Public works
- Title (official language):
- Tutelle publique des cultes. Travaux publics
- Creator/accumulator:
- Ville de Liège; Stad Luik; City of Liège
- Date(s):
- 1800/1969
- Date note:
- 19th century - 1969
- Extent:
- 11 linear metres
- Scope and content:
-
This fonds notably contains documents concerning the Jewish and Protestant (recognised) religions.
We note the box titled “Cultes israélite et protestant (divers) de 1882 à 1928”, in which we find a file concerning the budget of 1925, regarding the increase of the housing allowance for the rabbi Mr. Lehmann and for M. Rey, Protestant pastor. The file appears to have been sent to the Finance office on 15 February 1928.
We also point out the box titled “Fabriques d’églises (1956-1960) Saint-Martin à Consistoire israélite de Belgique”, and the box titled “Fabriques d’églises (1966-1967) Saint-Martin à Consistoire israélite de Belgique”, containing the budgets as well as the accounts and annual reports of the Jewish community of Liège.
Lastly, we note the box titled “Temple israélite, 1838-1900”, which contains numerous files that are of great interest, including the file titled “culte israélite – traitement du minister officiant, affaires diverses”. It mainly contains correspondence between the Communauté israélite de Liège and the municipal administration of Liège, the Executive of the province of Liège, the College of Mayor and Aldermen, as well as documents from the board of administrators of the Jewish community of Liège, the provincial and municipal administrations of Liège, the Finance office, etc. concerning: the guarantee (cautionnement) of the treasurer (1887-1911), subsidies awarded to ministers of religion (including their salaries), budgets and expenditures of the Jewish community (1908), funding from the city for the Jewish school (1920), the subsidy allocated to rabbi Lehmann for the religious services held in Spa (1921), the plan to construct a ritual bath (mikveh) in the synagogue (1923), reparations to the roof of the synagogue, the maintenance and reparations to the building (1925-1926), etc.
Furthermore we note a file regarding the establishment of the synagogue in the former Halle St. Julien, the construction of a skylight and installation of a choir screen (jubé) and pulpit (1877-1878), consisting of cost estimates for said construction works and correspondence between the administration des Hospices Civiles of Liège (on which the Halle St. Julien depended), the College of Mayor and Aldermen, the Jewish community and various other municipal and provincial administrations.
We point out a file titled “Communauté israélite. Ancienne Halle St. Julien. Travaux d’appropriation. Intervention de la Ville (1878)”, consisting of correspondence and bookkeeping records but also a detailed list of the items and furniture intended as furnishing of the temple (including cost estimates), and cost estimates of the construction works of the synagogue in the rue Entre deux ponts (1877).
We also find documents (dated 1920) concerning the request for placement of a commemorative plaque to the synagogue in Liège in honour of a fellow member of the community who died for his country during the First World War.
- 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: persons/families:
- Lehmann
- Access, restrictions:
- Access requires the authorisation of the archivist of the city of Liège.
- Finding aids:
- None. The boxes are labelled.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
