Tintin Forums

Anyone visiting the Herge Museum in Louvain may be interested to know that Father Damien is to be canonised. His body is buried nearby in the crypt of the Picpus Fathers Church of St Anthony. The history of the priest of Molokai must have been known - and influenced Herge. The missionary in Tintin in the Congo reminds me of pictures I have seen of Father Damien; I was wondering if there is anything written about any connections?

As I have discovered - the Herge Museum is in Louvain-le-Neuve and not in the Louvain I expected (now called Leuven). Leuven does have a redesigned Leuven Museum - with an amazing Rogier van der Weyden exhibition currently showing. Well worth the visit to see this beautiful, city and the tremendous artwork of this man. The Father Damien centre adjoins the Church crypt with the tomb. A special place, welcoming and peaceful. Leuven was decorated with banners and historical photos of the Damien story.

Beside the new Belgium stamps of Father Damien, I did not find much about Father Damien in Brussels. Nothing in the Herge museum to say how or if Herge experienced the Damien story.

As a footnote - I was pleased to find in Louvain - sorry, in Leuven - a comic shop with plenty of Tintin and Herge. And to crown my visit the kindness of a sales assistant who generously gave me a Snowy souvenir.

It’s an interesting story, and an interesting theory, rexmilou! I have to be honest and say that, having looked at pictures of Fr. Damien on the net, I can’t quite see the resemblance myself, but who knows? As you say, it is entirely possible that Hergé knew the story.

And thank you for the travelogue of Leuven – I shall add it to my list of must see-places in Belgium (of which there are so many!). I doubt I shall get there to see the Rogier van der Weyden exhibition, which is a pity, because he is probably the equal of Jan van Eyck. A bit of abtruse knowledge is that he – van der Weyden, not van Eyck! - was born in Tournai, where Casterman have their base.

Update: The Belgian Royal Mint are to issue a special commemorative €20 piece to mark the event of Fr. Damien’s canonization, and he is pictured on the cover of the October 2009 issue of their magazine MonnaieInfo, as well as in a feature inside.