The Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac ( fr. ''Abbaye Notre-Dame du Lac''), known as the Oka Abbey (fr. ''Abbaye Cistercienne d'Oka''), was a

Trappist The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

Cistercian

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 whi ...

located in

Oka, Quebec Oka is a small village on the northern bank of the Ottawa River (''Rivière des Outaouais'' in French), northwest of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Located in the Laurentians valley on Lake of Two Mountains, where the Ottawa has its confluence with t ...

. The main monastery building is of grey stone; it has a dozen outbuildings, all of which are situated on a 270-hectare property. With a decline in the number of monks by the early 21st century, the monastery decided to end operations there and established a non-profit centre at the abbey to preserve the site's heritage.

History

Following the seizure of the Cistercian Order's ''Abbaye de Bellefontaine'' in

Bégrolles-en-Mauges Bégrolles-en-Mauges () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. Population See also *Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department References

Communes of Maine-et-Lo ...

, Maine-et-Loire,

France 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 ...

by the army of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 19 ...

in November 1880, the

Trappists The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...

living at the Abbaye were expelled from the country. After receiving an invitation by Father Victor Rousselot of the Grand Seminary of the

Sulpician Order The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, Quebec, Canada, eight Trappist monks emigrated to Quebec in April 1881 to establish a new foundation. From their vast Quebec holdings, the Sulpician Order offered the Trappists a parcel of land at their property on the Lac des Deux Montagnes (Lake of Two Mountains) at Oka, Quebec. (Situated northwest of Montreal in the region of Deux-Montagnes). Naming the property La Trappe after Soligny-la-Trappe in France where the Order had been founded in 1662, the monks established the monastery. Within a few years, through an affiliation with the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

, the

created an agricultural school under the name of Oka Agricultural Institute. Along with this agricultural school, the Abbey supported itself by producing cheeses such as

Oka Oka or OKA may refer to: Cars * Oka (automobile), a small car designed by AvtoVAZ and produced by ZMA and SeAZ * OKA 4wd, a large 4-wheel-drive vehicle made in Western Australia by OKA Military * 2B1 Oka, Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mor ...

and

Port-Salut Port-Salut is a coastal commune in the Sud department of Haiti. Port-Salut is a popular destination for local Haitians, as well as tourists, due to the surrounding beaches. Port-Salut is the hometown of Haiti's former president, Jean-Bertr ...

. At its peak, the monastery housed upwards of 200 monks. By the early 21st century, as the number of religious vocations declined, 28 brothers remained and half were older than 70. The monks ended the operation of the monastery, donating the property to establish a non-profit centre to preserve the site's heritage. The Trappists have built a new, smaller monastery. They have changed their name t
Abbaye Val Notre-Dame

References

External links

Val Notre-Dame Monastery site
{{coord, 45.4929, N, 74.0296, W, display=title Trappist monasteries in Canada Religious buildings and structures in Quebec Religious organizations established in 1881 Tourist attractions in Laurentides Catholic Church in Quebec Buildings and structures in Laurentides 1881 establishments in Quebec 21st-century disestablishments in Canada