The Lion roars
A Flemish village plans to replace the cockerel weather vane sitting atop its church by a lion, the symbol of Flanders. Roesbrugge-Haringe in West Flanders has decided that the traditional cockerel sign, popular on churches since the 12th century, is too Walloon. The management committee of Saint-Martin’s church said many villagers were proud to be Flemish and could no longer tolerate a francophone symbol on the top of its tower. “The lion is the king of the animal kingdom. A cockerel is only a male chicken,” said its president Paul Recour. An order has already been made for a new wind vane in the form of a lion.
