Minister-President of Flanders visits New College to see Courtrai Chest

On Wednesday 11 May, the Minister-President of Flanders, Mr Jan Jambon, visited New College Oxford, where he was received by the Warden and by the Dean of New College for an exclusive visit to the Courtrai Chest. The Minister-President is in the UK in the context of the Belgian Economic Mission (#BEMissionUK) which is taking place 8-12 May. 

The Minister-President, accompanied by the councillor for culture of the city of Courtrai (Kortrijk), Mr Axel Ronse, announced that the Chest will be on loan to the city for at least a year, where it will be the centrepiece of a multimedia exhibition in the Church of Our Lady.  The exhibition will be opened on 10 July in the presence of the Minister-President and can be visited by the public from 11 July. 

The Courtrai Chest depicts the oldest known images of the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302), the most iconic battle in Flemish history. The artefact probably dates from shortly after the battle and was made by a carpenter from Bruges. The weaponry and heraldry in the images shows that the craftsman was well informed about the historical facts of the battle. The Chest likely made its way to England shortly after the battle, and was discovered by Warden Spooner while he was visiting New College properties in the village of Stanton St John, near Oxford, in 1905.