The Abbey of Maredsous
First, we visited The Abbey of Maredsous near Nemur. We heard that the bakery and cheese factory at Maredsous were quite good. Plus, it had a terrific playground with a zip line and extensive grounds to hike.
We were disappointed in Maredsous. Visitors were not allowed to tour the Abbey (except for the cafeteria, gift shop and church). The church was built recently in the 1800s (we wanted to see ruins and history!). Also, Maredsous seemed very commercial (it specialized in selling cheese and beer). There was a one hour tour of the Maredsous grounds, but the tour didn't start for another hour and was not in English.
The Villers Abbey
After lunch at Maredsous, we drove North towards Brussels. The highlight of our afternoon was visiting The Villers Abbey. According to its history, in 1146 twelve Cistercian monks and three lay brothers from Clairvaux came to Villers in order to establish the abbey on land granted them by Gauthier de Marbais. After establishing several preliminary sites (Villers I and Villers II), work was finally undertaken in the 13th century to build the current site. The choir was constructed by 1217, the crypt by 1240 and the refectory by 1267. The church itself took seventy years to build and was completed by the end of the century.
History of the Villers Abbey ruins
During this period, the abbey reached the height of its fame and importance. Contemporary accounts suggest that roughly 100 monks and 300 lay brothers resided within its walls. The lands attached to the abbey also expanded considerably, reaching some 100 km² of woods, fields and pasturage.
Decline set in during the 16th century, tied to the larger troubles of the Low Countries. Spanish "tercios", during the campaign of 1544, did considerable damage to the church and cloister, both of which were partially restored in 1587.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the abbey's fortunes continued to diminish. The number of monks and the abbey's wealth dwindled and it was finally abandoned in 1796 in the wake of the French Revolution.
Further degradation to the site occurred in 1855 when the railway line between Leuven and Charleroi passed through the old abbatial grounds.
In 1893, the Belgian state purchased the site and launched a conservation effort. Classed as an official historic site in 1973, the abbey has subsequently enjoyed considerable restoration, and the remains of the abbey along with numerous outbuildings can still be seen, including the cloister, refectory, kitchens, dormitories, and brewing house.
The church, although in ruins, is an outstanding example of Cistercian architecture, with imposing vaulting, arches and rose windows. It was sad for the girls to see the church in such a state - especially the rose windows. It is rare to see such craftsmanship and artistry and it should have been protected and preserved earlier.
All in all we will definitely return in the Spring or Summer. The abbey hosts an annual choir festival "Nuit Des Choeurs" in which a number of choirs sing a variety of music - classical through to gospel, jazz and pop arrangements - from different parts of the grounds over successive nights culminating in a firework display and centre stage concert.
