Aubechies / Abechies / Abeciae / Obechî / Obechies

A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (email of 5 December 2025) provides historical information on the church here, and notes that the church baptismal records cover from 1719 to 1808, but there is no trace of a baptismal font in it. It further refers to an interesting hexagonal basin found in the crypt of the church, the remains of a Roman / Early-Christian sanctuary (a nympheum) on which the later Christian church was built using material from the Roman building. The said basin is listed (w/o illustration) in BALaT KIK-IRPA [https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/10155368] [accessed 5 December 2025]: a 1973 "négatif monochrome" from IRPA [image not available in the source above] "représente une section hexagonale de la piscine de la crypte dite "nympheum". Choeur à chevet plat surmontant une crypte-couloir transversale, contenant un bassin d'époque gallo-romaine. Le site d'Aubechies est proche vis-à-vis de l'antique chaussée Bavai-Velzeke. Bibliographie: Le Patrimoine Monumental de la Belgique, Wallonie (13, Hainaut: Ath-arr. A-B, 1988, p. 371 - 373)". A further communication from Pol Herman (e-mail of 10 December 2025) included a digital photograph of the Gallo-Roman piscina he had just received.