Mont Cornillon Abbey (''L'Abbaye du Mont-Cornillon'' in

French 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 Franc ...

) was a

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

monastery which occupied a site in Wallonia close to

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, Belgium. In 1288 the abbey having moved to a new location, it became known as Beaurepart Abbey. It was the home of Saint

Juliana of Liège Juliana of Liège (also called Juliana of Mount-Cornillon), ( 1192 or 1193 – 5 April 1258) was a medieval Norbertine canoness regular and mystic in what is now Belgium. Traditional scholarly sources have long recognized her as the promoter ...

History

The abbey was founded by

Albero I of Louvain Albero I of Louvain (1070 – 1 January 1128) was the 57th Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1123 until his death. Albero was the third son of Henry II, Count of Leuven and Adela of Tweisterbant. After the suspicious death of Prince-Bishop Frederi ...

, Bishop of Liège, in 1124, three years after

Saint Norbert Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was c ...

had formed the Premonstratensian Order. The abbey, intended for Canons Regular of Prémontré from

Floreffe Abbey Floreffe Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery, the second of the order to be founded, situated in Wallonia on the Sambre at Floreffe, about 11 km southwest of Namur, Belgium. History When Norbert of Xanten, founder of the Premonstra ...

near

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

, stood on the right bank of the Meuse on an elevation called Mont Cornillon which overlooked the city of Liège. In the early years of the order all Premonstratensian abbeys were double abbeys, that is to say, the canons lived on one side of the church and the nuns, who had charge of the hospital for women, on the other side. Where an abbey stood on an elevation, as was the case at Mont Cornillon, both the nunnery and the hospital were built at the foot of the hill. Saint

(born 1193; died 1258), whose name is connected with the institution of the feast of Corpus Christi on account of her visions, was a nun of this convent. The first abbot of Mont Cornillon was Blessed Lucas, one of Saint Norbert's disciples, a learned and holy religious, some of whose writings have been published in the "Bibliotheca Magna Patrum", and also by

Migne Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a u ...

. The Bishop of Liège, wishing to build a fortress on the heights of Cornillon, gave the canons in exchange in 1288 another site in his episcopal city where the abbey, from that time on called Beaurepart Abbey (''"Bellus Reditus"''), stood until it was suppressed by the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1796. All the religious refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Republic; some were exiled and one was put to death. The abbey was declared to be of public utility and consequently was not sold. For a time it served as an arsenal and for other government purposes, but by decree of 11 June 1809,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

gave the abbey to the Bishop of Liège as his residence and as the

Diocesan Seminary of Liège The Diocesan Seminary of Liège (in French: ''Séminaire épiscopal'' or ''Grand Séminaire de Liège''), now also Espace Prémontrés, is an educational institution in the Diocese of Liège, founded in 1592. History The seminary was first founded ...

. On the abbey's original site on Mont Cornillon the Little Sisters of the Poor have built an old people's home, and the former nunnery at the foot of the hill is now occupied by

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

nuns.

References

{{coord, 50, 38, 03, N, 5, 34, 14, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Christian monasteries in Liège Province Premonstratensian monasteries in Belgium 1124 establishments in Europe Religious organizations established in the 1120s Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Buildings and structures in Liège