The Monasterium Magnificat is a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
of the
Annunciade
Annunciade (English: Annunciation), and various alternate spellings, may refer to:
Religious orders
* Servites, also known as the ''Servants'' or ''Annunziata'', first religious order of its kind was instituted in 1232 by seven Florentine merch ...
Order, located in
Westmalle
Westmalle is a village in the Belgian province of Antwerp which is part of the municipality of Malle.
History
See history of Malle.
Tourism
Westmalle is primarily known for the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle of the Order of Cistercians of the Stric ...
,
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 ...
. It is the only monastery of this order in Belgium. It was created from the merger of three monasteries which existed in 1965:
Tienen
Tienen (; french: Tirlemont ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Marg ...
(1629),
Geel
Geel () is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, which acquired city status in the 1980s. It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns: Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum. Further on around the cen ...
(1853), and
Merksem
Merksem (; former spelling: ''Merxem'') is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has 44,808 inhabitants as of 2021.
History
The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that perio ...
(1898). The new monastery was built between 1966 and 1970 in the midst of a quiet
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
belonging to
Westmalle Abbey
Westmalle Abbey, otherwise the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle ( nl, Abdij van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart or the "Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart"), is a monastery of the Cistercians of Strict Observance in Westmalle in the Belgian p ...
.
Marc Dessauvage (1931-1984) was the
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
of the building.
See also
*
Saint Joan of France
Sources
Monastérium Magnificat
External links
Annonciade
{{Coord, 51.288451, 4.663427, format=dms, type:landmark_region:BE, display=title
Servite Order
Christian monasteries in Antwerp Province
Malle