Herkenrode

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 ...

( li, Abdij van Herkenrode) was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played 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 ...

Cistercian nuns Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church. History The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in t ...

located in

Kuringen Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as it ...

, part of the municipality of

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...

, which lies in the province of Limburg,

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 ...

. Since 1972 some of the surviving buildings have served as the home of a community of the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre, who have since built a new retreat center and church on the site. In 1974 the buildings and the surrounding estate were designated and since then protected as a national historical monument and landscape.

History

Cistercians

The abbey was founded in or about 1182 by Count Gerard of Loon, who sold a part of his lands to raise funds for his participation in the Crusades, and used some of the proceeds to endow a Cistercian monastery for nuns. (Some historians claim that he was forced to do so by

Rudolf of Zähringen Rudolf of Zähringen (also ''Rudolph'', ''Ralph'' or ''Raoul'') (c. 1135 – 5 August 1191) was the archbishop of Mainz from 1160 to 1161 and prince-bishop of Liège. He was the son of Conrad I of Zähringen and Clemence of Luxembourg-Namur. ...

, the Prince-Bishop of Liège, as a

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...

for having burnt down the

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a ...

Tongeren Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the onl ...

). In 1217 the abbey was formally accepted into the

Cistercian Order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

, the first, and also the greatest and wealthiest, women's monastery of the Order in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

. The nuns referred to themselves as the "noble ladies of the Order of Cîteaux of the County of Loon" ( nl, adellijke dames van de orde van Cîteaux van het graafschap Loon). After Count Gerard was killed during the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

at the

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

in 1191, his body was brought back by the same Archbishop Rudolph, who had led an army to the siege. Rudolph reached, though, only as far as Switzerland, dying there on the way home. Gerard was buried in the church of the abbey he had founded, which from then on became the burial place of all the Counts of Loon. This custom continued up to the last Count to die with that title, Dietrich (or Theodoric) of

Sponheim Sponheim is a municipality in the district of Bad Kreuznach in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany. History Sponheim was the capital of the County of Sponheim. Sponheim Abbey There was a Benedictine abbey which was founded in 1101 by Step ...

(d. 1361), who was refused burial here because he had been

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

. In 1366 the County of Loon passed into the possession of the Prince-Bishops of Liège, with whom the nuns succeeded in remaining on good terms. During the 15th century the abbey, like many others, suffered a severe decline, but from around 1500 enjoyed a revival. In the 18th century a total reconstruction was planned, of which the Neo-Classical abbesses' lodgings was built, as well as an

English garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...

, still intact, with exotic trees. The

French Revolutionary Army The French Revolutionary Army (french: Armée révolutionnaire française) was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipment ...

invaded the region in 1795 and annexed it to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. During a policy of anti-Catholic measures which were in effect from 1795-1799, they seized the abbey and expelled the nuns, as a result of which the monastic community was permanently dispersed. The abbey was sold to Claes and Libotton, after which the buildings gradually fell into disrepair. In 1826 a fire destroyed much of the church, which had been in use as a factory, after the

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows (which had been sold in 1801 and reused in

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

, England) had been replaced by clear glass. In 1844 the remaining ruins were demolished, including the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

of the Counts of Loon. Many artworks from the church have survived and are kept in museums.

Canonesses

In 1972 the

Canonesses Regular of the Holy Sepulchre The Canonesses Regular of the Holy Sepulchre (CRSS), or ''Sepulchrine Canonesses'', are a Catholic female religious order first documented in 1300. They were originally the female branch of the ancient religious order of that name, the Canons Reg ...

bought part of the old abbey grounds with their remaining buildings. They have since built a new monastery and retreat center. Ten years later, they built the Church of the Risen Lord, which now serves the canonesses and their guests. Much restoration work has taken place on the remaining buildings of the previous abbey, all of which date from the 16th-18th centuries.with the possible exception of some fragments of work in the millhouse, which may be medieval File:Herkenrodeabdij 6-11-2008 15-47-29.JPG, The gate house, with the porter's lodge to the left File:Tiendschuur.jpg, The restored

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the vi ...

File:Wegwijskaartje Abdij Herkenrode.jpg, Map File:Herkenrodeabdij_6-11-2008_16-04-12.JPG, The mill house

Abbesses of Herkenrode

*Ingeltrude I (1182–1205) *Jutta I (1205–1237) *Ingeltrude II (1237–1257) *Jutta II (1257–1272) *Margareta (1273-before 1281) *Aleidis van Diest (1281-1302) *Margareta van Stein (1303-1333) *Agnes van Guigoven (1333-1337) *Beatrix van Lobosch (1341-1354) *Aleidis van Wanrode (1354-1365) *Catharina van Kerkom (1365-1391) *Catharina van Goetshoven (1395-1412) *Aleidis van Rijkel (1414-1433) *Elisabeth van Kerkom (1433-1442) *Beatrix van Reckhoven (1442-1447) *Catharina van Schoonbeek (1447-1456) *Catharina van Pipenpoye (1456-1491) *Gertrudis de Lechy (1491-1519) *Mechtildis de Lechy (1520-1548) *Aleidis de Lechy (1548-1561) *Catharina van Goor (1561-1579) *Albertina van Schwartsenberg (1579, for a few months only) *Catharina van Gaver (1579-1585) *Anna van Blockerien (1585-1620) * Margareta de Berghes (1620-1637) *Barbara de Hinnesdael (1637-1653) *Anna Catharina de Lamboy (1653-1675) *Claudia de Merode (1675-1702) *Catharina van Mombeek (1702-1725) *Gertrudis van Mettekoven (1725-1728) *Barbara de Rivière d'Arschot (1728-1744) *Anna de Croÿ (1744-1772) *Augustina van Hamme (1772-1790) *Josephine de Gondrecourt (1791-1796)

Notes

References

Unless otherwise stated the following are published by an association promoting the site of Herkenrode *Herkenrode. Tijdsbeelden (Erfgoed Vlaanderen) *Herkenrode, abdij en levend monument (Studiecentrum Herkenrode vzw) *Herkenrodecahier 1: de tiendschuur *De eenhoorn springt weer op - Herkenrode in haikoe *De schalks geschetste geschiedenis van Herkenrode *Een gebed van licht en kleur - de glasramen van Herkenrode *Herkenrode zoals het is, Herkenrode zoals het was *Wapenboek van de abdissen van Herkenrode *200 jaar leven en werken in Herkenrode *Herkenrodecahier 2: het vissershuisje (VDAB dienst communicatie Hasselt) *De opgravingen van Herkenrode (Stadsmuseum Hasselt) *Gids abdijsite Herkenrode (Erfgoed Vlaanderen i.s.m Herkenrode vzw) *Herkenrode netwerk''t'' in Limburg: van Wijshagen tot Jeuk *Herkenrode 10 jaar later, 1998 - 2008. Een overzicht in woord en beeld. *Hooglied van de cisterciënzers. Samenvatting van een lezingenreeks in Herkenrode. (Vtbkultuur in samenwerking met Herkenrode vzw) *Monasterium Herkenrode, deel 1. (Erfgoedcel Hasselt in samenwerking met Studiecentrum Herkenrode vzw) *Monasterium Herkenrode, deel 2. (Erfgoedcel Hasselt in samenwerking met Studiecentrum Herkenrode vzw) *Herkenrode door Marc Van de Cruys en Marc Cheron in hun reeks ''Heraldiek van abdijen en kloosters'' (Homunculus uitgaven 2007)

External links

De Abdij van Herkenrode

Bezinningscentrum Herkenrode

Erfgoed Vlaanderen - doorklikken naar Abdijsite Herkenrode

Inventarisatie Vlaams Instituut voor het Onroerend Erfgoed (VIOE): Abdij Herkenrode
{{coord, 50.9559, 5.2785, type:landmark_region:BE, display=title Christian monasteries in Limburg (Belgium) Protected heritage sites in Limburg (Belgium) Cistercian nunneries in Belgium Christian monasteries established in the 12th century 20th-century Christian monasteries Monasteries of Canonesses Regular 1186 establishments in Europe 1972 establishments in Belgium Monasteries dissolved during the French Revolution Former buildings and structures in Belgium Buildings and structures in Hasselt Buildings and structures demolished in 1844