Entombed Heart of Belgian Mayor Buried Since 1883 Discovered in Ornate Fountain

In Verviers, Belgium, authorities discovered an alcohol-filled sealed jar in a small zinc casket in an ornate fountain that contained the heart of the city's first mayor.

The jar of Mayor Pierre David's heart has been stored in the city's Museum of Fine Arts and is displayed for people to see. The late official died in 1839 and the fountain, which was named after him, was inaugurated in 1883.

Entombed heart

According to BBC, the jar featured engravings that reveal it was kept in the monument at the time. The writings stated that Mayor David's heart was stored in the fountain on June 25, 1883.

Maxime Degey, the Verviers Alderman for Public Works, said that an urban legend of the area has just become a reality. He revealed that the jar was found in the upper part of the fountain, close to where the bust of David was kept right behind a stone that officials removed during the fountain's renovation.

Radio Television Belge Francophone (RTBF), a news media outlet in Belgium, wrote that Degey said builders found the jar on August 20. When experts examined it, they were surprised to see it was in amazing condition.

In 1839, Mayor David died while working in his hayloft at the age of 68. Authorities of the city launched a collection fund that was used to erect a monument in the first mayor's honor. The officials family gave their consent to surgeons to remove his heart and entomb it within the fountain, as reported by News EU.

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The official website of the Verviers wrote that after the initial collection of funds for the fountain, it took the city several decades to gather enough money to pay for the ornate monument.

Before the fountain at Place Verte was constructed, several arguments arose discussing the best way to honor the late first mayor of the city.

Mayor Pierre David

The first mayor of Verviers led the city through harsh times, including the time in 1830 when Belgium was first established as an independent state.

David first served as mayor of Verviers between 1800 and 1808 when France still controlled Belgium. Later, the revolution against the Dutch rule resulted in Belgium gaining its independence. It was at this time that David was once again re-elected as mayor of the city.

One of mayor David's most significant contributions to the city was the founding of a fire service within the area in 1802 which, at the time, was considered a rare innovation.

His supporters and fellow officials knew him as a Francophile who expressed his support for the French Revolution's ideology and actions. However, between 1815 and 1830, David lived through Dutch rule while serving as the city's mayor.

The city was severely damaged during the uprising in 1830, and the people gave David the responsibility of restoring the region's order because citizens widely respected him and his rule.