Editing Wavre (section)

===Antiquity and Middle Ages===
The foundations of a wealthy [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[villa]] were found very close to Wavre, complete with a portico and many rooms.  This part of [[Gaul]], however, was ravaged by the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] invasions in the 3rd and 4th century, and it is only in the year 1050 that Wavre was mentioned for the first time, as a dependency of the [[County of Leuven]], part of the [[Brabant (landgraviat)|Brabant]] [[pagus]].  The chapel built by the counts near the former [[Gallo-Roman]] villa was ceded to the [[Affligem Abbey]] a few years later.  By the 13th century a market already existed in the budding town built at the crossroads of the [[Brussels]]-[[Namur]] and [[Nivelles]]-[[Leuven]] roads.  In 1222, Duke [[Henry I, Duke of Brabant|Henry I]] of [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]] granted the town its city [[charter]].  At around the same time, the Affligem Abbey expanded its Wavre possessions into a [[priory]], which attracted pilgrims from a wide region around the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le coeur de Wavre |url=https://www.wavre.be/le-coeur-de-wavre |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Ville de Wavre |language=fr}}</ref>