Published on April 29, 2024 at 9:24 p.m. / Modified on April 29, 2024 at 9:26 p.m.
At the entrance on the right, a notice attached to a slightly aged sink warns: this fountain has the sole purpose of quenching thirst, “to use it in any other way is a lack of faith”. On a neighboring table, a few sheets of paper in Dutch and Italian repeat the “Ten Principles of the Father”, while another sign imposes silence. Located in the western suburbs of Liège, the temple of Jemeppe-sur-Meuse is divided into two floors by an Art Nouveau-style balcony. On the impeccably black main wall, the name “Culte Antoiniste” appears in the font of the Tintin albums, followed by the schedules of “Readings” and “General Operations”, and a tirade which promulgates the “ Faith” as the only remedy for the salvation of humanity. At 10 a.m. sharp, an old brother in a black toga gets up from the front row, rings a bell three times then sits down again. A sister wearing a black cap then walks towards the platform. With her eyes closed, she launches into reciting the “Ten Principles” with insipid intonation. The assembly is sparse. Rather middle-aged, there are around twenty of them. Far from the records of the early 20th century, when the religious movement claimed 300,000 followers in Belgium.
Christophe Guyot is a fan of martial arts, fencing and artistic metalwork. Above all, he has been an Antoinist for around fifteen years. Born Catholic “by the fact of [ses] parents”, he was baptized and received communion, but “has long been [son] path alone,” he explains, installed in his blacksmith’s workshop, at the back of his gray house. “After a breakup in 2010, I changed jobs and where I lived.” One day as he walks past a nearby Antoinist temple, Christophe enters. There is nobody. “I didn’t understand anything, but sometimes when you sit somewhere you feel good there. There, I felt good.” By returning, the Liégeois begins to “feel things”, until the brother responsible for the “Reading” invites him to do it. There are then three people in the temple. “There, I feel something light, thoughts coming from everywhere, extraordinary emotions.” He who spent his life looking for answers in books finds answers thanks to people “back home”. “Above all, there is no exam, grade or obligation to go to Rome on your knees, everything is simple.” Well, not exactly…
Interested in this item?
To take full advantage of our content, subscribe! Until April 30, take advantage of nearly 15% off the annual offer!
CHECK OFFERS
Good reasons to subscribe to Le Temps:
- Unlimited access to all content available on the website.
- Unlimited access to all content available on the mobile application
- Sharing plan of 5 articles per month
- Consultation of the digital version of the newspaper from 10 p.m. the day before
- Access to supplements and T, the Temps magazine, in e-paper format
- Access to a set of exclusive benefits reserved for subscribers
Already a subscriber?
To log in
