Nazareth, Belgium

Nazareth
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Nazareth Location in Belgium
Location of Nazareth in East Flanders
Coordinates: 50°58′N 03°36′E / 50.967°N 3.600°ECoordinates: 50°58′N 03°36′E / 50.967°N 3.600°E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Ghent
Government
• Mayor	Danny Claeys
• Governing party/ies	CD&V
Area
• Total	35.19 km^2 (13.59 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2013)[1]
• Total	11,351
• Density	320/km^2 (840/sq mi)
Postal codes	9810
Area codes	09
Website	www.nazareth.be

Nazareth (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnaːzɑrɛt]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Eke and Nazareth proper. On January 1, 2011, Nazareth had a total population of 11,252. The total area is 35.19 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km².

Etymology

There are various hypotheses for the origin of the name "Nazareth", dated to a text of songs from 1259 CE. It is possible that Nazareth was named after the biblical city of Nazareth. It is also possible, but less likely, that Nazareth was originally a slip of the word magherhet (thinness).

History

The community was first recorded in 1259.

Heraldry

The arms of Nazareth is a composition of two family crests:

The first part is the arms of the family Rockolfing: three gold roses geknopt throat in the field, vert scrolled head and a shield charged with a throat depth and looking round lion of gold, tongued gules.

The second part is the escutcheon of the family Kervyn Volkaersbeke: saber in a twill together right in the head by an acorn, stemmed and browsed in two pieces, left in the mind of a six-pointed star, everything from gold and the one point eagle leg of silver.

Sights

• 19th-century church (1861 – 1870)

References

1. Population per municipality on 1 January 2013 (XLS; 607.5 KB)

External links

• Media related to Nazareth, Belgium at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (Dutch)