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When Myth Becomes History: The Brussels Host Desecration Accusation, 1370-Today

Event Type
Lecture
Sponsor
Medieval Studies and the Program in Jewish Culture and Society
Location
Lucy Ellis Lounge (LCLB 1080, 707 S Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801)
Date
Nov 11, 2025   5:00 pm  
Speaker
Flora Cassen
Cost
Free and open to the public
Contact
Carol Symes
E-Mail
symes@illinois.edu
Views
3

This talk follows the remarkable afterlife of a lie: the 1370 Brussels accusation that Jews desecrated the Holy Host. From its thin medieval traces, the story grew into a grand civic myth, told through paintings, processions, and stained glass, that came to define Brussels' religious and urban identity for centuries. Dr. Cassen explores how this legend was used to serve both church and state, and how even after the Holocaust, efforts at reconciliations stopped short of confronting its falsehood. In tracing the evolution of one fabricated story, we'll consider what happens when myth becomes history- and whether it is possible to undo that transformation. 

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