Saint Peter's Abbey () is a former

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

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 Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, Belgium, now a museum and exhibition centre.

History

Middle Ages

Saint Peter's was founded in the late 7th century by Amandus, a missionary sent by the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

kings to

Christianize Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

the pagan inhabitants of the region, who founded two monasteries in the area, St. Bavo's, and Saint Peter's on the Blandijnberg. During the winter of 879-80, the abbey was raided and plundered by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, and it remained relatively poor until the 10th century when the abbey became the privileged burial ground of the rulers of the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...

. In particular, Count Arnulf I considerably enriched the abbey with donations of property (some of which he or his father had usurped) and

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s. So did further donations by Elthruda, the niece of King Alfred, who donated in 918, St. Mary's Church in Lewisham, Greenwich and by Arnulf's cousin King Edgar. Count Arnulf I also replaced the canons with

Benedictine monks The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, the ...

shortly before 941. By the second half of the century it was the wealthiest abbey in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, and the reputation of the abbey school extended far beyond the town. In 984, Gerbert of Aurillac, director of the cathedral school of

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

, (later

Pope Sylvester II Pope Sylvester II (; – 12 May 1003), originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He endorsed and promoted study of Science in the medieva ...

) inquired whether students from Reims could be admitted to Saint Peter's, and its renown as a centre of '' artes liberales'' continued into the 11th century. Saint Peter's, through its ownership of large tracts of land, also played a pioneering role in cultivation during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, transforming forests, moors and marshes into farmland. In the fifteenth century a large scale programme of construction created the abbey library and

scriptorium A scriptorium () was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. The term has perhaps been over-used—only some monasteries had special rooms set aside for scribes. Often they ...

, enlarged the

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

, and the abbey church and other buildings were considerably beautified.

Early Modern Period

Saint Peter's first decline began following the Revolt of Ghent in 1539, and by the 1560s the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

were plunged in a religious crisis that resulted in an attack by iconoclasts in 1566 in which the abbey church was wrecked, the library looted, and other buildings badly damaged. The infirmary was pressed into service as a temporary home for the monks and the refectory used as a place of worship. However opposition continued and in 1578 the abbot and monks were forced to flee to

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

. The abbey buildings were sold at public auction and were partly demolished, the materials being used to construct the city walls. The abbey finally came back into the hands of the church in 1584, and it was eventually rebuilt, with a new abbey church, begun in 1629, in the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

, as well as several other new builds and refurbishments. During the 18th century, the abbey was once again flourishing, as new buildings were constructed and older ones enlarged, including the conversion of the old dormitory into a library with more than ten thousand books. However, the end was not far off, first with the

Brabant Revolution The Brabant Revolution or Brabantine Revolution (, ), sometimes referred to as the Belgian Revolution of 1789–1790 in older writing, was an armed revolution, insurrection that occurred in the Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) between O ...

of 1789–90, then the French invasion of 1793. Finally, on 1 September 1796, the Directory abolished all religious institutions. In 1798 the library was emptied and eventually taken to the

University of Ghent Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

. From 1798 the abbey church was used as a museum, but was returned to the ownership of the church in 1801 and renamed ''Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Sint-Pieterskerk'' ("Our Lady of Saint Peter's Church"). In 1810, the rest of the abbey became the property of the city of Ghent, and was partially demolished for the construction of a military barracks, which remained on the site until 1948.

Modernity

Around 1950 the city launched a programme of restoration, which is still ongoing, which began with the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

and

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

, then the west wing, including the old refectory and kitchens. Work on the wine cellars and attics was completed in the 1970s, and in 1982 work on the abbey gardens was completed, and in 1986 the

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

. In the 1990s restoration of the refectory wing began. The abbey is now used as a museum and exhibition centre, which in 2000 housed a major exhibition as part of the Year of Emperor Charles, and in October 2001 hosted the 88th meeting of the European Council.

Gallery

File:Middenschip - Pieter Huyssens (architect) - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (5).jpg, Central nave designed by Pieter Huyssens File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (21).jpg, Interior File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (19).jpg, Interior view File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (14).jpg, Interior view of the church File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (25).jpg, Interior File:Orgel - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (1).jpg, Organ File:Hoofdaltaar - Valentin Vaerwyck - Oscar Sinia - Guillelmus De Reuck - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (3).jpg, Main Altar File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (38).jpg, Interior view of the church File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (37).jpg, Interior view of the church File:Binnenzicht kerk - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent (36).jpg, Interior view of the church File:Genezing en processie tegen de pest in 1604 - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent.jpg, Healing and procession against the plague in 1604 File:Vier Deugden (Beelden rond hoofdaltaar)- De Recht vaardigheid - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent.jpg, Four virtues Justice File:Vier Deugende (Beelden rond hoofdaltaar)- De Matigheid - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent.jpg, Four virtues Temperance File:Staande Maria met Kind (O.-L.-Vrouw ter Rive) - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent.jpg, Standing Mary with Child File:Heiligen Antonius en Paulus gevoed door een raaf - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Sint-Pieterskerk Gent.jpg, Saints Anthony and Paul fed by a raven

Burials

Baldwin II, Margrave of Flanders Baldwin II ( 865 – 10 September 918) was the second margrave (or count) of Flanders, ruling from 879 to 918. He was nicknamed the Bald (''Calvus'') after his maternal grandfather, Emperor Charles the Bald. Rule Baldwin II was born around 86 ...

Ælfthryth, Countess of Flanders Ælfthryth of Wessex (c. 877 – 7 June 929), also known as Elftrudis (Elftrude, Elfrida), was an English princess and a List of countesses of Flanders by marriage, countess consort of Flanders to Baldwin II, Margrave of Flanders, Baldwin II. ...

* Arnulf I, Count of Flanders * Adele of Vermandois *

Baldwin III, Count of Flanders Baldwin III (1 January 962), called the Young, was Count of Flanders, who briefly ruled the County of Flanders together with his father, Arnulf I, from 958 until his early death. Baldwin III was born . He was the son of Count Arnulf I of Fland ...

Arnulf II, Count of Flanders Arnulf II (960/1 – 30 March 987) was Count of Flanders from 965 until his death. Life He was the son of Baldwin III of Flanders and Matilda of Saxony, countess of Flanders, daughter of Hermann Billung, Herman, Duke of Saxony.Detlev Schwennicke ...

Rozala of Italy Rozala of Italy (also known as Rozala of Lombardy, Rozala of Ivrea or Susanna of Ivrea; 950–960 – 1003) was countess consort of Flanders by marriage to Arnulf II of Flanders, and queen of the Franks by marriage to Robert II of France. She w ...

* Ogive of Luxembourg *

Godfrey I, Count of Verdun Godfrey I (died 1002), called the Prisoner or the Captive (''le Captif''), sometimes the Old (''le Vieux''), was the count of Bidgau and Methingau from 959 and the sovereign count of Verdun 963 to his death. In 969, he obtained the Margraviate of ...

* Lu Zhengxiang

Isabella of Austria Isabella of Austria (''Isabel''; 18 July 1501 – 19 January 1526), also known as Elizabeth, was born an Archduchess of Archduchy of Austria, Austria and Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg, and subsequently became List of Danish consor ...

was buried at St. Peter's from her death in 1526 until 1883, when her remains were transferred to Odense Cathedral to lay alongside her husband

Christian II of Denmark A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. Also transferred in 1883 were the remains of her son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, who died in 1532.

References

Sources

External links

* * {{cite web , url= http://www.visitgent.be/en/st-peters-abbey?from_category=3333&context=tourist , title=St Peter's Abbey , work=Visit Ghent , year=2014 , accessdate=19 December 2014 Christian monasteries in East Flanders Christian monasteries established in the 7th century Benedictine monasteries in Belgium Museums in Ghent 7th-century churches in Belgium