Sint-Joris Guild (Mechelen)

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The members of the Guild of the Great Crossbow in Mechelen (approx. 1500) by the master of the Mecheln Sint-Jorisgilde ( Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Antwerp) )

The Sint-Jorisgilde was a vigilante association ( schuttersgilde ) in the Flemish city ​​of Mechelen .

history

The guild , which was the oldest in Mechlin, was founded in 1312 and was one of the five vigilante associations in this city. It was named after St. George who, according to legend, killed a dragon.

The Sint-Jorisgilde consisted strictly of two guilds: the Old or Great crossbow ( Grote Kruisboog ) and the boys or little crossbow ( Small Kruisboog ). Membership was linked to prosperity and certain conditions, with the number of members in the Old Crossbow Guild limited to sixty and the Young Crossbow Guild to twenty-four. The cost of the equipment was partly covered by the city of Mechelen.

Philip the Good resorted to the Mechelen Sint-Joris guild when he had a violent dispute with the residents of Ghent in 1453 .

Master of the Mechelen Sint-Joris guild

The Sint-Joris guild also had a connection with Philip the Fair . On a painting by the master of the Mecheln Sint-Joris guild (see picture) Philip is shown as George the dragon slayer . The princess in the background on the left bears the features of his wife Joanna of Castile . Her parents watch from the castle. On the left is Rombout , the patron saint of Mechelen. The Sint-Rombout Cathedral is also clearly recognizable. The painting shows a total of 30 guild riflemen, 16 on the left and 14 on the right.

Further development of the guild

From the 16th century, the Sint-Joris guild lost its military defense function, but continued to exist as a social association of the citizens. For example, the so-called Gaaischieten was organized on the Great Market, a festival that lasted three days and often ended in desolation. The guild met for the last time in 1912 to celebrate its 600th anniversary.

Web links

  • Information on the history of the "Sint-Jorisgilde" at: arquebusiers.be (Dutch; PDF; 751 kB)
  • "De leden van de Mechelse gilde van de grote kruisboog" - Information on the "Master of the Sint-Joris Guild" at: vlaamsekunstcollectie.be (Dutch)

Source reference

  • This article is largely based on a translation of the article of the same name in the Dutch language Wikipedia