Affligem Abbey ( nl, Abdij Affligem, french: Abbaye d'Affligem) is a
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conce ...
in the municipality of
Affligem
Affligem (; anciently written Afflighem) is a municipality located some west-north-west of Brussels in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, not far from the city of Aalst and the important railway junction of Denderleeuw. Affligem is situa ...
,
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Haina ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, to the north-west of
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Dedicated in 1086, it was the most important monastery in the
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...
and therefore often called ''Primaria Brabantiae''.
History
First foundation
On 28 June 1062, an hermitical fraternity was founded in Affligem by six knights who repented of their violent way of life.
Hermann II,
Count Palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
of
Lotharingia
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
(1061–1085) and his guardian,
Anno II, archbishop of Cologne
Anno II ( – 4 December 1075) was Archbishop of Cologne from 1056 until his death. From 1063 to 1065 he acted as regent of the Holy Roman Empire for the minor Emperor Henry IV. Anno is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.
Life
He was b ...
(d. 1075) donated the foundation grounds. On this land, the first abbey church, dedicated to
Saint Peter
Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...
, was erected in 1083. The
Benedictine Rule
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...
was adopted in 1085, followed by the formal dedication of the abbey in 1086.
[Brock, Henry. "Afflighem." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 17 October 2022 The monks brewed beer as it was safer to drink than water.
["Our Abbey", Affligem]
/ref>
The counts of Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to:
Place names in Europe
* London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany
Belgium
* Province of Bra ...
, also counts of Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...
, became their protectors (''Vögte
During the Middle Ages, an (sometimes given as modern English: advocate; German: ; French: ) was an office-holder who was legally delegated to perform some of the secular responsibilities of a major feudal lord, or for an institution such as ...
'') in 1085/1086. A number of their family members are buried in the abbey church, including Queen Adeliza
Adeliza or Adelida (died before 1113) was a daughter of William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders. There is considerable uncertainty about her life, including her dates of birth and death. In a mortuary roll prepared at her siste ...
of England (d. 1151), as well as her father Duke Godfrey I of Leuven
Godfrey I ( nl, Godfried, 1060 – 25 January 1139), called the Bearded, the Courageous, or the Great, was the Landgrave of Brabant, Count of Brussels and Leuven (Louvain) from 1095 to his death and Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1106 to 1129. He w ...
(d. 1139). Queen Adeliza was buried in the abbey church in 1151, near the clockwork.
During the 12th century, the abbey became known for the strict adoption of the Cluniac
The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wit ...
observance. Several monasteries were founded by the monks of Affligem or assigned to the abbot of Affligem by their founder. Maria Laach Abbey
Maria Laach Abbey (in German: ''Abtei Maria Laach'', in Latin: ''Abbatia Maria Lacensis'' or ''Abbatia Maria ad Lacum'') is a Benedictine abbey situated on the southwestern shore of the Laacher See (Lake Laach), near Andernach, in the Eifel re ...
in the Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...
in Germany, was founded in 1093 as a priory of Affligem by the first Count Palatine of the Rhine Heinrich II von Laach and his wife Adelaide of Weimar-Orlamünde
Adelaide of Weimar-Orlamünde ( - 28 March 1100) was the daughter of Otto I of Meissen and a member of the family of the counts of Weimar and Orlamünde. She married successively, Adalbert II of Ballenstedt, count palatine Herman II, and Henry o ...
, widow of Hermann II of Lotharingia. Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order through ...
visited Affligem in 1146, where it is said his greeting to the Blessed Virgin
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
was miraculously answered.[ In memory of this event, he donated his staff and chalice to the abbey (still preserved in the abbey).
In 1523, Affligem joined the ]Bursfelde Congregation
The Bursfelde Congregation, also called Bursfelde Union, was a union of predominantly west and central German Benedictine monasteries, of both men and women, working for the reform of Benedictine practice. It was named after Bursfelde Abbey.
Backg ...
, a union of Benedictine monasteries formed in the 15th century for the stricter observance of the Benedictine rule. In 1569, the Archbishop of Mechelen
Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...
became secular abbot and the spiritual duty was exercised by a provost (praepositus), a measure that lasted until the dissolution of the abbey in 1796.[ In 1580 the abbey was destroyed by soldiers of ]William the Silent
William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...
, but subsequently rebuilt.
Archbishop Jacobus Boonen
Jacobus Boonen (1573–1655) was the sixth Bishop of Ghent (1617–1620) and the fourth Archbishop of Mechelen (1621–1655).
Life
Born at Antwerp on 11 October 1573, Boonen studied at the University of Leuven from 1587 to 1595 and began a leg ...
introduced the Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...
observance. At his insistence, the Prior of Affligem, Benedict van Haeften
Benedictus van Haeften (1588 – 31 July 1648) was the Provost of Affligem Abbey and a writer of religious works.
Haeften commissioned Rubens and Caspar de Crayer, De Crayer to decorate the church and the monastery in Affligem.
Biography
Van Ha ...
, founded in 1627 a new congregation, ''B. M. V. in Templo Praesentat'', which included Affligem and several other Belgian monasteries, affiliated to the Congregation of St. Vanne, which had a stricter constitution than Bursfeld. It was dissolved in 1654. Haeften commissioned Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...
and De Crayer to decorate the church and the monastery in Affligem.
In 1796, during the French occupation
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
, the monks were chased away from the abbey, part of the buildings destroyed and the lands confiscated. The last provost, Beda Regaus, preserved the miraculous image of Our Lady, as well as the staff and chalice of Saint Bernard. These came into the possession of a Benedictine monk, Veremund Daens, who in 1838 established a new foundation at Dendermonde.
John Cotton, whose ''De musica'' (c. 1100-1121) is one of the earliest musical theses, covers the ecclesiastical use of monody in the organum and the roots of polyphony. Jan of Afflighem, Jan van Ruusbroec
John van Ruysbroeck, original Flemish name Jan van Ruusbroec () (1293 or 1294 – 2 December 1381) was an Augustinian canon and one of the most important of the Flemish mystics. Some of his main literary works include ''The Kingdom of the D ...
's Good Cook in the Groenendaal monastery near Brussels, was important for the survival of theology in the wake of the Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
. His theology strongly influenced Gerard Groot, who taught Thomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471; german: Thomas von Kempen; nl, Thomas van Kempen) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of ''The Imitation of Christ'', published anonymously in Latin in the N ...
.[Bollandist Life of Ruusbroec, Brussels 1885]
Second foundation
In 1869/70, Affligem Abbey was re-established and agricultural activity resumed. A new church was erected in 1880. The brewery was re-opened in 1885, followed by a new dairy and cheese farm in the mid-1890s. During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, copper fittings and fixtures were requisitioned, but the brewery resumed operation in 1921. The brewery was destroyed in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The brand name is used under license from the monks of Affligem, by the Op-Ale brewery in the neighbouring village of Opwijk, now owned by Heineken
Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star.
History
On 15 Febr ...
and renamed Affligem Brewery.[
Affligem Abbey is a member of the Flemish Province of the ]Subiaco Cassinese Congregation The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses (abbeys and priories) within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Piet ...
within the Benedictine Confederation
The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict ( la, Confœderatio Benedictina Ordinis Sancti Benedicti) is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.
Origin
The Benedictine Confederation is a union of monasti ...
.
Abbots
The first abbot of the abbey was Fulgentius (1088–1122), a monk of Saint-Vanne Abbey in Verdun. Among his prominent successors may be mentioned:
*Franco (1122–1135), author of ''De Gratia Dei'' in twelve books (''Patrologia Latina'', vol. 166, 717-080);
*Albert, whose devotion to the Virgin Mary won him the title ''Abbas Marianus'';
*William de Croÿ (bishop)
Cardinal Guillaume, Guillermo or William de Croÿ (1497 – 6 January 1521), a member of the noble House of Croÿ, was Prince-Bishop of Cambrai from 1516 to 1519 and Archbishop of Toledo from 1517 to 1521. He was born in the Habsburg Netherla ...
(1518–1521)
*Charles de Croÿ
Charles de Croÿ Prince of Chimay ( nl, Karel van Croij; 1506 – 11 December 1564) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tournai, See of Tournai in present-day Belgium from 1524 until 1564.
Charles was born in 1506 as a member of the H ...
(1521–1564)
Provosts
*Benedict van Haeften
Benedictus van Haeften (1588 – 31 July 1648) was the Provost of Affligem Abbey and a writer of religious works.
Haeften commissioned Rubens and Caspar de Crayer, De Crayer to decorate the church and the monastery in Affligem.
Biography
Van Ha ...
, author of several religious works
Burials
* Godfrey I of Leuven
Godfrey I ( nl, Godfried, 1060 – 25 January 1139), called the Bearded, the Courageous, or the Great, was the Landgrave of Brabant, Count of Brussels and Leuven (Louvain) from 1095 to his death and Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1106 to 1129. He w ...
* Adeliza of Leuven
Adeliza of Louvain, sometimes known in England as Adelicia of Louvain, also called Adela and Aleidis; (c. 1103 – March/April 1151) was Queen of England from 1121 to 1135, as the second wife of King Henry I. She was the daughter of Godfrey I, ...
, Queen of England
* Marie of France, Duchess of Brabant
Marie of France (1198 – 15 August 1224) was a daughter of Philip II of France and his disputed third wife Agnes of Merania. She was a member of the House of Capet.
Early life and legitimacy
In order to marry Agnes, Marie's father Philip ha ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
Affligem Abbey image
Affligem Stamp image
{{Authority control
Christian monasteries in West Flanders
Benedictine monasteries in Belgium
Christian monasteries established in the 11th century
Burial sites of the House of Reginar
1869 establishments in Belgium
1796 disestablishments in the Southern Netherlands
1100s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire
1105 establishments in Europe
12th-century establishments in Belgium