Casteau- Loop

Casteau appears to have been inhabited since the Neolithic era. Indeed, archaeological excavations conducted shortly after 1970 around the Hostée farm uncovered traces of a fortified spur on the left bank of the Obrecheuil. A Roman cemetery from the time of Marcus Aurelius was also discovered. Official documents from 847 mention that the village was under the protection of the abbot of Saint-Amand. The first Romanesque church was built around 1150. Casteau seems to have been a prosperous village throughout the Middle Ages. Another significant date in its history is October 4, 1349, when, during an epidemic, a double procession, one from Soignies and the other from Mons, came together at the Camp of Casteau with the relics of the spouses Waudru and Vincent in front of a crowd of several thousand people. A chirograph kept at the State Archives in Mons shows a view of the village in 1491. Less peaceful encounters took place in the territory of Casteau in 1678, 1914, and 1918 during bloody battles. In 1678, during the Battle of Saint-Denis, the French set fire to the village, which had been taken from them by the Prince of Orange. This battle caused more than 4000 deaths. The Iron Cross opposite the church recalls the fate of these unfortunate souls.

The church of Casteau was built from 1779 to 1789 on the foundations of a very old Romanesque church. Inside, the pillars are magnificent columns of "Petit Granit." But the true jewel of the church is a Gothic sculpture of a polychrome Virgin made of French stone, known as Our Lady of Casteau or Our Lady of Stone. The church was restored for the first time in 1852 and more recently in 1963.

On the north side of the road linking Mons to Casteau stretches a large plain transformed into a military camp by the Dutch army in 1825 and by the Belgian army after 1830. On May 12, 1940, General Donnay of Casteau welcomed King Leopold III at his castle, now disappeared, who came to preside over the first Inter-Allied Council. On March 31, 1967, the name of Casteau became known worldwide with the establishment of SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe) on its territory. The administration of the village was attached to Soignies in 1977 during the merger of communes. The territory of Casteau occupied by SHAPE was, for its part, attached to the commune of Mons.