The PJCS and Medieval Studies  invites you to a talk by Flora Cassen (Washington University, Shalom Hartman Institute) When Myth Becomes History: The Brussels Host Desecration Accusation, 1370-Today

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 reconciliation 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.

The When Myth Becomes History: The Brussels Host Desecration Accusation, 1370-Today talk will take place at Lucy Ellis Lounge (LCLB 1080) on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025 at 5:00pm.

Contact: Carol Symes (Director Medieval Studies, [email protected])