Almost everyone in Japan knows the little children’s book called A Dog of Flanders. But, until recently, almost no one in Flanders had ever heard of it.
Set in Antwerp, it was published in 1874 by the British writer Louise de la Ramée. It tells the story of a young orphan boy named Nello from Hoboken and his dog Patrasche.
Nello wants to be an artist and dreams of seeing Rubens’ Descent from the Cross in Antwerp Cathedral. He cannot afford the entrance fee, but sneaks inside to spend the night in front of the altarpiece, where he dies of cold, comforted by his dog.
The tragic story was made into a popular Japanese TV series, which brought many fans to Antwerp. The city finally installed a marble sculpture by Batist Vermeulen in front of the Cathedral on Handschoenmarkt depicting Nello lying under a blanket of cobblestones alongside his faithful dog.
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.
