POPERINGHE, an ancient town of West Flanders, 12 m. W. of Ypres, Pop. (1904), 11,680. It contains a fine church of the 11th century, dedicated to St Betin. In the 14th century it promised to be one of the principal communes in Flanders; but having incurred the resentment of Ypres on a matter of trade rivalry it was attacked and captured by the citizens of that place, who reduced it to a very subordinate position. There are extensive hop gardens, bleaching grounds and tanneries in the neighborhood of the town.