THE Minister-President of Flanders visited New College in Oxford.

Jan Jambon, who was in the UK for the Belgian Economic Mission, visited in the college in Holywell Street on Wednesday (11).

He was received by Miles Young, warden of the college, and Michael Burden, dean of the college, for an exclusive visit to the Courtrai Chest.

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The Courtrai Chest depicts the oldest known images of the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302), the most iconic battle in Flemish history.

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A spokesperson for New College said: “The artefact is said to date back to shortly after the battle and was made by a carpenter from Bruges.

“The weaponry and heraldry in the images show 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 near Oxford in 1905.”

Minister-President Jambon, accompanied by the councillor for culture of the city of Courtrai, Axel Ronse, announced that the Chest will be on loan to the city for at least a year where it will be the centerpiece of a multimedia exhibition in the Church of Our Lady.  

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The exhibition will be opened on Sunday, July 10 in the presence of the Minister-President and can be visited by the public from Monday, July 11.

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This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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