Editing Pont-à-Celles

{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name=Pont-à-Celles
|native_name={{native_name|wa|Pont-a-Cele}}
|picture= Saint-Pierre church in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium (DSCF7668).jpg
|picture-legend= Saint-Pierre church in [[Liberchies]]
|map=Pont-à-Celles Hainaut Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend=Location of Pont-à-Celles in Hainaut
|arms=CommunesBelgique-Pont-a-Celles.svg
|flag=Pont-à-Celles_Belgium.svg
|region={{BE-REG-WAL}}
|community={{BE-FR}}
|province={{BE-PROV-HT}}
|arrondissement=[[Arrondissement of Charleroi|Charleroi]]
|nis=52055
|pyramid-date=
|0-19=
|20-64=
|65=
|foreigners=
|foreigners-date=
|mayor=Pascal Tavier ([[Socialist Party (Belgium)|PS]])
|majority=[[Socialist Party (Belgium)|PS]] - IC
|postal-codes=6230, 6238
|telephone-area=071
|web=[http://www.pontacelles.be/ www.pontacelles.be]
|coordinates = {{coord|50|30|N|04|21|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Pont-à-Celles''' ({{IPA|fr|pɔ̃.t‿a sɛl|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Madehub-Pont-à-Celles.wav}}; {{langx|wa|Pont-a-Cele}}) is a [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]] of [[Wallonia]] located in the [[Hainaut Province|province of Hainaut]], [[Belgium]]. 

On January 1, 2018, Pont-à-Celles had a total population of 17,287. The total area is 55.73&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> which gives a [[population density]] of 310 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>.

==Administration==

The municipality  consists of the following districts: [[Buzet, Belgium|Buzet]], [[Liberchies]], [[Luttre]], [[Obaix]], Pont-à-Celles, [[Thiméon]], and [[Viesville]].

==Origin of the name==

Pont-à-Celles draws its name from Latin ''Cella'', meaning room or cell of monk, probably because of the presence of the monastery founded in the 7th century, by [[Saint Amand]] (apostle of Belgium). The jurisdiction on which this primitive monastery was established, and then the priory of the Park, was called Celles, and later Pont-à-Celles.

The name of Pont-à-Celles appears for the first time during the 16th century, when the monks of the Park built a bridge over the Pieton river near the church. The parishioners of Luttre and Hairiamont then had to cross the bridge for going to service (hence bridge to Celles, or Pont-à-Celles in French). Gradually, this name extended to all the parish whose territory covered six seigniories.

When in 1795, the French replaced these six seigniories by a newly created municipality, they adopted the name of the parish (Pont-à-Celles). In 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon in Waterloo, its territories were annexed to the Netherlands. With this occasion, the [[Jemmape (department)|department of Jemappes]] (to which Pont-à-Celles belonged) became the province of Hainaut.

==Notable people from Pont-à-Celles==
The famous [[Jazz]] guitarist [[Django Reinhardt]] was born in [[Liberchies]]. Every May, the community honors him with the open air Django Reinhardt Jazz Festival.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Pont-à-Celles
|N  = [[Nivelles]] ([[Walloon Brabant|WBR]])
|E  = [[Les Bons Villers]]
|S  = [[Charleroi]]
|SW = [[Courcelles, Belgium|Courcelles]]
|NW = [[Seneffe]]
}}
{{Hainaut}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pont-A-Celles}}
[[Category:Municipalities of Hainaut (province)]]