It is one of the saddest tombs in Belgium. A tiny black marble figure lies in a Gothic niche in Halle’s basilica. It was carved in memory of Joachim, the second son of the future king Louis XI of France, who died in Halle in 1460.
The little boy was just four months old when he died. The figure in the niche is no larger than a doll. But it takes you back to a sad day more than five centuries ago.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
