GERARDVS RVBENS ABBAS SBERNARDVS in SCALDIS

St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, or ''abbatiae S. Bernardi ad Scaldim, ordinis Cisterciensis, in dioecesi Antverpiensi'' also known as St. Bernard's Abbey on the Scheldt (''Sint-Bernardusabdij van Hemiksem''; ''Abdij Sint-Bernaerdts aan de Schelde''), located in

Hemiksem Hemiksem (, historical spellings ''Heymissen'' and ''Hemixem'') is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Hemiksem proper. In 2021, Hemiksem had a total population of 11,722. The tot ...

in the

province of Antwerp Antwerp Province (; ; ; ), between 1815 and 1830 known as Central Brabant ( , , ), is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the North Brabant province of the Netherlands to the ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, was a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery founded in 1243 and dissolved during the French Revolution. The buildings are now the property of the municipality of Hemiksem.

History

The establishment of the abbey at Hemiksem, named after Saint

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

, was the result of the efforts of Duke

Henry I of Brabant Henry I (, ; c. 1165 – 5 September 1235), named "The Courageous", was a member of the House of Reginar and first duke of Brabant from 1183/84 until his death. Early life Henry was possibly born in Leuven (Louvain), the son of Count Godfr ...

and after his death by his son, Duke

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, who saw the actual foundation of the abbey in 1243, which was confirmed by

Pope Urban IV Pope Urban IV (; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death three years later. He was elected pope without being a cardinal; he was the fi ...

. The monastic community at Hemiksem, like all

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

clergy in the region, came under pressure in the late 16th century and in 1578, at the height of the

iconoclastic Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

movement (''

Beeldenstorm ''Beeldenstorm'' () in Dutch and ''Bildersturm'' in German (roughly translatable from both languages as 'attack on the images or statues') are terms used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th centu ...

''), the abbey stood entirely deserted for a time. From 1570 to 1649 the position of abbot was held ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' by the

bishops of Antwerp A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

. In 1672 most of the buildings burnt down; the present buildings date from the late 17th and 18th centuries. The impressive western facade with tower of 42m high, was completed during the abatiat of

Joannes van Heymissem Joannes van Heymissen OCist (1621–1678) was the 36th abbot of Hemiksem Abbey. Career Heymissen was born in 's-Hertogenbosch, which until 1629 was one of the four chief cities of the Duchy of Brabant in the Habsburg Netherlands. His father, a ...

. The ca 30 monks were chased out of their abbey in 1797, the community was suppressed. Their important grounds, estates and rights were abolished during the French Revolution and the church demolished. In 1836 the surviving members of the community bought the recently empty premises of

Bornem Abbey Bornem Abbey is the only Cistercian abbey of Common Observance in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The current abbey is the successor of the former St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, destroyed in the French Revolution. Both are built in honou ...

and leaving Hemiksem for good, re-settled it as the still-extant

Premises after the French Revolution

From 1811 the buildings were used as a naval hospital. In 1821, the Antwerp architect

Pierre Bruno Bourla Pierre Bruno Bourla (19 December 1783 – 31 December 1866) was a Paris-born Belgium, Belgian architect. He was the city architect in Antwerp from 1819 to 1861, and a professor of architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. His most f ...

converted the abbey for use as a house of correction, with large dormitories, for the accommodation of over 1500 men, 450 women and a large number of children. The use of dormitories later fell out of favour, and from 1867, after conversion of the large open rooms into individual cells, the premises were reused as a military depot. Immediately after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the building was used as an internment facility for collaborators. From 1948 to 1977 it was again used by the military, and from 1977 stood empty. The building was legally protected from 1973 and was bought by the municipality in 1988. After the west and east wings were restored they now accommodate the administrative centre of the municipality of Hemiksem, local police headquarters and service flats; a local history museum and the Roelants Museum are located in the north wing. The distinctive silhouette of the principal range has become a symbol of the town.

Abbots

Gerardus Rubens Pierre-Eugène-Aloys OCist, also known as Gerardus Rubens (born 1674; died 21 January 1736), was the 42nd Abbot of the Common Observance in St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem. He was the son of Aloysius Rubens and Anne de Deckers, and related to t ...

Benedict Neefs Dom Benedictus Neefs, O.Cist. (; 19 January 1741 – 7 November 1790) was the 46th abbot of Hemiksem Abbey. Corneel Neefs was born in Kontich and entered Hemiksem Abbey in 1762, taking the monastic name Benedictus. Abbot of Hemiksem In 1780 ...

Notes

Sources

Hemiksem municipality: official website

Roelants Museum

References

* De Schepper, L., 1957: ''Oud- en nieuw Hemiksem met de Sint-Bernardusabdij''. Antwerpen: De Vlijt {{Coord, 51.131, N, 4.330, E, display=title, source:dewiki Christian monasteries in Antwerp Province Christian monasteries established in the 1240s Cistercian monasteries in Belgium Hemiksem 1243 establishments in Europe