NOTRE-DAME-D'ORVAL ABBEY
Monastery with a real atmosphere of peace, housing a monastic museum in the foundations of the eighteenth century
The monastery exudes a real atmosphere of peace, with its natural setting, harmonious architectural lines, warm limestone color and ten centuries of Christian fervor. A place to recharge one's batteries, it also bears witness to the role played by monks over the centuries. Founded in 1070, it joined the Cistercian order in 1132. The monks built their first cloister, which was destroyed by fire in the mid-13th century. The abbey was rebuilt, but suffered other misfortunes, including during the French Revolution. In 1926, the de Harenne family donated the Orval ruins and adjoining lands to the Cîteaux order, to enable them to revive the abbey. Dom Marie-Albert Vander Cruysen took charge of Orval's reconstruction, calling on Antwerp architect Henri Vaes. The new church was consecrated in September 1948. Monastic life thus resumed at Orval, and is still going strong today.
The monastic museum is housed in the 18th-century foundations. There is also a pharmaceutical museum and a medicinal plant garden. In the only remaining building of the former abbey, you can discover the secrets behind the brewing of Orval beer, a tactile model of the monastery for the visually impaired, an interactive children's trail and the works of monk painter Brother Abraham Gilson. A store where you can pack your own (exceptional) beer and cheese.
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