La Reid No. 1 / Alraye / Rée / Reid / Rais / Le Werixhas / Leray

The basin of late-16th century baptismal font located at the timer in the vicarage garden is listed and illustrated in BALaT KIK-IRPA [https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/10079577] [accessed 9 April 2026]: "fonts baptismaux [...] pierre [...] Date: 1591 - 1600 [...] hauteur: 36.5 cm; largeur: 76 cm" [...] Emplacement: jardin du presbytère". Also listed and illustrated in KIK-IRPA is a 19th-century font: "Fonts baptismaux avec réemploi du bénitier ancien (mais incertain) [...] pierre [...] Date: 1801 - 1810 [...] hauteur: 113 cm".
A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 28 March 2026) informs: "La Reid, église Saint-Lambert et Saint-Fiacre. 1323 Reis, 1333 Rée, Leray, Al Raye. First mentioned in 1323 as "Reis" in the records of the court at Theux. Usage rights over the vast expanse of moorland and heath (now wooded) in the region were poorly defined between the Principality of Liège, the Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Duchy of Limburg. Numerous border disputes arose in the 16th and 17th centuries between the inhabitants of La Reid and Becco on the one hand, and the inhabitants of Remouchamps and other villages on the other. Under French rule, these lands, which in fact belonged to no one, were claimed primarily by the municipalities of La Reid and Aywaille. A division took place in 1830. At the place called "Le Werixhas," a chapel founded by local inhabitants and dedicated to Saint Lambert is mentioned as early as 1512. It was under the jurisdiction of the Council of Saint-Remacle in Liège. The 1558, a register of this same council mentions the "Capella Dellere." In 1581, the Prince-Bishop of Liège authorized the sale of a property for the rebuilding of a new chapel in the village centre, and the erection and consecration of the baptismal font. This was done after 1586. The presence of a cemetery is noted in 1593. The parish of La Reid became a dependency of the church of Theux. Following a fire in 1634, the chapel underwent significant repairs. In 1739, it underwent major renovations again. In 1803, under the Concordat, La Reid became an independent parish from Theux. However, the new parish soon lost Becco, Winamplanche and Desnié, whose chapels were established as branch churches. In 1821, the church was in danger of collapsing. In 1829, significant repairs and modifications were carried out. Finally, due to the building's dilapidated state, a new neo-Gothic church was built in 1935; the 17th-century tower was preserved but heightened. Baptismal records start in 1630. In 1972, an octagonal basin was laying in the garden of the vicarage. It is thought to be a fragment of the original baptismal font of ca. 1591. In 1935, the inspector of the Monument Commission advised that the “cuve en pierre d’anciens fonts du 16ième siècle” should be embedded in the walls of the newly constructed church. However the local authorities felt that this unsightly stone would detract from the beauty of the new building. Besides, it was too late, now that the church is about to be roofed over, to carry out what should have been done. No trace of this object today. https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/10079577
KIK-IRPA dates de present font : 1801-1810, the period when La Reid became an independent parish. The basin could be a re-used stoup.
https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/10079581.
Stoup from ca. 1600 with inscription IOHA HERI ANTON LEION https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/10079575 [cf. BSI entry for La Reid No. 2] Modern stoup (?) not mentioned in KIK-IRPA -- Pictures by Les Murs de Pierre"