St. Guibert procession

The origins of the St. Guibert procession held every three years go back a long way.
This hospitable and tourist-friendly procession is dedicated to the knight Wicbertus who was canonised in 1110 as St. Guibert. He created a Benedictine abbey in Gembloux in the 10th century, and this became the hub of the market town's development. The procession dates back to the annual procession held in honour of the monastery during the Ancien Régime until it was eradicated during the French Revolution. The procession is intended to be Gembloux's pluralist tribute to the founder of the abbey, which was the powerhouse of the city's cultural and economic development. During the procession the reliquary containing the presumed remains of St. Guibert are taken out of the church and are carried all along the route. This copper reliquary was made by the Dehin brothers from Liege under the pastorate of dean Alexandre Otte (1871 - 1879).
The procession with the reliquary containing the remains of St. Guibert, which the dean has entrusted to the city for the occasion, travels through the streets of Gembloux to the accompaniment of music, following a route connecting several chapels and historical sites in the city.

The various stops are meeting places providing opportunities, in keeping with the different traditions, for activities by local artistic and community-based talents.
Full of encounters and social interaction, the event kicks off in the afternoon and ends in the late evening when the reliquary is returned to the decanal church.