The Belgian politician Eugène Goblet d’Alviella is buried below one of the largest and most eccentric tombs in Belgium. It looms over the little cemetery of Court-Saint-Etienne in Walloon Brabant.
Count Goblet d’Alviella was a leading 19th-century politician, freemason and professor of the history of religions. In 1885 he commissioned the Brussels architect Adolphe Samyn to design a tomb that reflected his theory of religion.
Modelled on ancient Hindu tombs, it incorporates elements of Egyptian, Greek and Moorish architecture. The huge monument is also covered with mysterious symbols and inscriptions in Greek, Chinese and Arabic letters.
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.
