St. Sixtus' Abbey, Westvleteren ( nl, Sint-Sixtusabdij Westvleteren), which belongs to the Cistercians of Strict Observance, or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic abbey located in

Westvleteren Westvleteren is a village in the province of West Flanders, Belgium. It is a section of the municipality of Vleteren. The core of it is a linear settlement along the N321 road. Westvleteren is primarily known for the Westvleteren Brewery ( nl, B ...

, in the Belgian Province of West Flanders. The abbey is famous for its spiritual life, characterised by prayer, reading, and manual work, the three basic elements of Trappist life. It has also a reputation for its brewery, one of several producers of Trappist beer in Belgium.

History

9th to 18th centuries

The earliest traces of a monastic presence at the location of the present day abbey date back to 1260, although the ', which is mentioned in a deed of 806 (from the abbey of Saint-Omer), was probably located in the same area (known at that time as ''Fletrinio''). From 1260 to 1355 there was a small community of nuns on the side of the Catsberg. That site was abandoned, but between 1610 and 1784 a monastery of the Bridgettines (the Order of the Most Holy Saviour) was located on what is called "Fathers' Corner".

19th century

In 1831 the hermit Jan-Baptist Victoor was joined by a prior and a few monks in the woods of Saint Sixtus, and this group developed into the later Trappist abbey of Saint Sixtus in Westvleteren. In 1838 the Westvleteren Brewery was founded inside the abbey precinct. In 1839 a primary school was established and in 1840 the ''old church'' of the priory was built. In 1850, a group of monks from Westvleteren founded Scourmont Abbey on the barren plateau of Scourmont near

Chimay Chimay (, wa, Chimai) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a populatio ...

. In 1871 the priory was granted the status of abbey by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. Between 1875 and 1878 a model farm was developed as an example for the region.

20th century

During World War I the abbey provided shelter to many refugees from the region and in addition almost 400,000 allied soldiers lived in and around the abbey. World War II was a difficult time for the monastery in several respects. After the war, in 1945, the abbot decided to reduce the capacity of the brewery to produce only 4,800 hectolitres a year. In 1964 the guesthouse was built, and a new abbey church was added in 1968.

Sources

* Monks of Westmalle Abbey, 1904: ''Geschiedenis der Abdij van het Heilig Hart van Jezus te Westmalle'' (p. 135). Westmalle * Van Remoortere, J., 1990: ''Ippa's Abdijengids voor Belgie'' (pp. 418–420). Lannoo * Johannes Lootens, 2012: "De Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren - geschiedenis"; Davidsfonds

External links

St. Sixtus' Abbey, Westvleteren: official website (Dutch)
{{Coord , 50.895942, N, 2.721262, E, region:BE_type:landmark, display=title Christian monasteries in West Flanders Trappist monasteries in Belgium