Poperinge
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Poperinge, a town in West Flanders, Belgium (coordinates: 50° 51′ 0″ N, 2° 44′ 0″ E) where Anabaptists were active as early as 1538. Later there was a Mennonite congregation here, concerning which there is little information. This congregation is said to have been wiped out in 1561 by Inquisitor Titelman, but in 1568 Mennonites at Poperinge still held meetings in the home of Augustijn Gloribus, who in this year escaped arrest by flight. A few Mennonites of Poperinge died as martyrs in other Belgian towns. In the 16^th century Mennonites moved from Poperinge to Holland, particularly to Haarlem, bringing their craft of linen bleaching with them.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 202. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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