Who are we ?
We are a group of friends, brouht together by an Oath of fidelity in a non profit organsiation, an A.S.B.L governed by statutes and by our own internal rules. Our current businesses are controlled by a committee which meets once a month.
Our principal activities are.
- Shooting with crossbow at local, regional and international levels.
- Cultural and leisure activities for all members of the guild and their friends.
- Participation in the St. Georges Procession.
- Participation in other local activities organized by the municipal authorities.
History of the Guild
Gréziens accompanied their lord, the count Werner III, when he left in crusade with his cousin Godefroid de Bouillon. Those which returned from there brought back a new weapon : the « crossbow ».
Since 1152, the inhabitants of Grez, grouped around the church, assembled in workers Corporation. They placed their guilds under the protection of Saint-Georges. To defend the village against the bands of plunderers and the possible invaders, they were armed with lances, bows and crossbows. The guild was thus primarily of self-defence and religious.
The ancestral traditions of shooting and taking an oath would have been lost definitively if, in 1978, some gréziens had not decided to start again them. With the assistance of the Grand Serment Royal et Noble de Notre-Dame du Sablon of Brussels, the medieval gilde was reconstituted little by little.
In December 1978, the GRAND SERMENT ROYAL DES ARBALETRIERS DE SAINT-GEORGES started again, under the high protection of His Majesty the King Léopold III. December first, 1979, eighteen members pronounced the sentence: « On my honour and my conscience, I swear it », thus answering the question the Dean of Grez :
« By Our Lady, Mother of God and by the valiant knight Georges, patron saint of the crossbowmen and according to the tradition, do you swear fidelity and honesty to the Grand Serment Royal des Arbalétriers de Saint-Georges de Grez-Doiceau » ?
Since then, the establishment of the ‘Roys’ and the taking of the oath of the new members having achieved a nine months training course take place each year during the mass of Saturday evening preceding the festival of Saint-Georges. With their families and friends, all the crossbowmen attend in blue blazer with escutcheon and cross-belt bearing the colors of the Guild which are also those of Grez.
If you have remarks, information or requests, do not hesitate to contact us. We will reply at best efforts.
Thank you for your visit on the site www.arbaletrier.be.
For all contacts: Info & Webmaster (info@arbaletrier.be)
