Editing Veurne (section)

===15th century until the French Revolution===
[[File:Veurne, Belgium ; Ferraris Map.jpg|thumb|left|Veurne on the [[Ferraris map]] (around 1775)]]
The 15th century saw the construction of a new city hall, which is known today as the Pavilion of the [[Spain|Spanish]] officers, from its use in the 17th century as military headquarters.  As most of the "Westhoek" (the Western part of the county of [[Flanders]]), the city and the neighbourghood strongly recessed during the economic and religious problems around 1566–1583. But when the town and the [[castellany]] officially got together, the town flourished, thanks to the expanding agriculture of the agrarian region.

Most of the other historic buildings date from this time, the prosperous reign of the Archdukes [[Archduke Albert of Austria (1559–1621)|Albert]] and [[Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain|Isabella]] around 1600.

In 1644 the [[Capucines]] organised a procession. Since 1646, this procession was organised by the "Sodales", a religious confraternity, that organised a crossway during Advent time, under the leadership of the [[Premonstratensian|Norbertine]] monk Jacob Clou. The hooded "Sodales" took a cross for penitence. This procession was expanded at the end of the 17th century with scenes from the Bible, and is the only one of his kind, remaining up to now in Flanders.

The second half of the 17th century was marked by the miseries brought to the region by [[Louis XIV]]’s wars.  [[Vauban]] built heavy fortifications around the city, the outlines of which are still noticeable from the air today.  [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II of Austria]] put them down and closed some of the religious institutions, putting a temporary end to the penitents’ procession, until [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Leopold II of Austria]] allowed it again in 1790. Those few cloisters that were still operating were closed at the [[French Revolution]].