Tournay

Tournay (Flemish Doornik), a town in the Belgian province of Hainault, on the Scheldt, near the French frontier, 35 miles WSW. of Brussels. Its splendid Romanesque cathedral, 400 feet long, has five towers and pictures by Jordaens, Rubens, and Gallait; and there are also the churches of St Quentin and St Brice (with the grave of King Childeric), the belfry (1190), and a bronze statue (1863) of the Princess d'Épinoy, who in 1581 valiantly defended Tournay against Parma. Although one of the oldest towns in Belgium, it has quite a modern appearance, with fine suburbs and beautiful broad streets. The chief manufactures are hosiery, linen, Brussels carpets, and porcelain; but there are few large workshops, most of the fabrics being executed by the people in their own houses. Pop. (1880) 32,566; (1891) 35,403. Tournay, the ancient Tornacum or Turris Nerviorum, was in the 5th and the beginning of the 6th century the seat of the Merovingian kings, subsequently belonged to France, but in 1526 was included in the Spanish Netherlands. During May 1794 it was the scene of several hotly contested fights between the French and Austro-English armies, the most important of which was that of the 19th May, in which Pichegru beat the Duke of York. Fontenoy (q.v.) is 5 miles SE.