Vlierbeek Abbey ( nl, Abdij van Vlierbeek) is a former
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 ...
to the north-east 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 ...
in
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 ...
, in the sub-district
Kessel-Lo
Kessel-Lo (population 26,000) is a town in Belgium. It is a borough of Leuven, situated to the east and north of Leuven proper. Kessel-Lo is bordered by Holsbeek, Lubbeek, and several other sub-municipalities that are part of Leuven (Leuven munic ...
.
History
On the abbey site in 1127 a
priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...
was founded by
Affligem Abbey
Affligem Abbey ( nl, Abdij Affligem, french: Abbaye d'Affligem) is a Benedictine abbey in the municipality of Affligem, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, to the north-west of Brussels. Dedicated in 1086, it was the most important monastery in the Du ...
, to whom
Godfrey I of Louvain had given the land on the
Vlierbeek two years previously. In 1163 or 1165 the priory was elevated to the status of an abbey. The Benedictines cultivated the surrounding land, and played a great role in the spiritual and intellectual development of the area. Over the next few centuries they worked almost constantly on the abbey complex, having often to repair or rebuild what had been destroyed by fire or conflict.
In 1170 a stone church in
Romanesque style replaced the first church, which was made of clay.
In 1572 the abbey was burnt down by the troops of
William of Orange. The reconstruction of the abbey was spread over two periods. The first lasted from 1642 to c. 1730. The second, under the direction of
Laurent-Benoît Dewez
Laurent-Benoît Dewez (14 April 1731 – 1 November 1812) was a Belgian architect of Walloon origin. He is considered the most influential architect in the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium) from the second half of the 18th century. His ...
, lasted from 1776 to 1796.
During the occupation by the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
ary army the abbey, like all other monasteries, was suppressed in 1796, and the monks were expelled. The buildings and contents were sold off in 1798. Jan Antoon de Becker of Louvain, brother of one of the monks, became the new owner. In 1801 the abbot and some of the monks returned, but a full revival of the community did not succeed, and the last monk of Vlierbeek died in 1838.
After the creation of the municipality of
Kessel-Lo
Kessel-Lo (population 26,000) is a town in Belgium. It is a borough of Leuven, situated to the east and north of Leuven proper. Kessel-Lo is bordered by Holsbeek, Lubbeek, and several other sub-municipalities that are part of Leuven (Leuven munic ...
in 1828 the abbey church became the parish church for the whole of it. In 1877 the parish of
Blauwput was separated. In 1900
Boven-Lo also became an independent parish. From that point the former abbey church became the parish church of the parish of
Vlierbeek.
In 1830 de Becker donated the church to the churchwardens and in 1837 he made a further gift to them of the remaining abbey buildings. Some were demolished, others rented to individuals.
Vlierbeek remained rural until
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 ...
. After the war the population and construction increased rapidly and a school (the "abbey school") was built there.
In early 1970 the
province of Brabant
The Province of Brabant (, , ) was a province in Belgium from 1830 to 1995. It was created in 1815 as South Brabant, part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1995, it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speak ...
bought the remaining rural area round the abbey in order to prevent the neighbourhood from being parcelled out in building plots. This area was expanded to form the Kessel-Lo province estate.
For more than 60 years Chiro Vlierbeek, a Catholic youth group, has used the abbey buildings.
Chiro Vlierbeek
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Abbey church
The Neo-classical abbey church was designed by the well-known architect Laurent-Benoît Dewez
Laurent-Benoît Dewez (14 April 1731 – 1 November 1812) was a Belgian architect of Walloon origin. He is considered the most influential architect in the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium) from the second half of the 18th century. His ...
(1731-1812). The central part is octagonal and is crowned by a cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
The word derives, via Italian, from ...
. The openings have various geometric forms such as semi-circle or a trapezium. The interior is severe and light. The monks' choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
terminates in a square tower with an octagonal skylight.
Churchyard
In the churchyard are burial monuments of prominent persons, including the professors Alberdingk-Thijm (1827-1904), Emiel Vliebergh (1872-1925), Mgr. Pieter-Jozef Sencie (1865-1941) and student leader Jef Vanden Eynde (1879-1929).
Visits
Every weekend a mass is celebrated in the church. Apart from this the church is accessible to visitors, and the abbot's lodgings are accessible on special occasions. The other buildings are private property.
File:Abdij van Vlierbeek - in den Rozenkrans.jpg, The inn "In den Rozenkrans"
File:Abdij van Vlierbeek - Kerk.jpg, Abbey church
File:Abdij van Vlierbeek - zandstenen rondboogdeur.jpg, Sandstone door arches
File:Abdij van Vlierbeek - boomgaard.jpg, Black Hebrideans in the 17th-century walled orchard
References
External links
www.abdijvanvlierbeek.be Website of Vlierbeek Abbey
{{coord, 50, 53, 30.12, N, 4, 44, 8.99, E, type:landmark_region:BE, display=title
Christian monasteries in Flemish Brabant
Benedictine monasteries in Belgium
Buildings and structures in Leuven