Nazareth, Belgium

Nazareth (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnaːzaːrɛt] ^ⓘ) is a former municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Eke [nl] and Nazareth proper. In 2021, Nazareth had a total population of 11,844.^[2] The total area is 35.19 km^2[3] which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km².

Nazareth
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Nazareth
Nazareth Location in Belgium Location of Nazareth in East Flanders
Coordinates: 50°58′N 03°36′E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Ghent
Government
• Mayor	Danny Claeys (CD&V)
• Governing party/ies	CD&V, Vooruit-Groen
Area
• Total	35.43 km2 (13.68 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	11,574
• Density	330/km2 (850/sq mi)
Postal codes	9810
NIS code	44048
Area codes	09
Website	www.nazareth.be

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)