Westvleteren Abbey

Westvleteren Abbey

Westvleteren Abbey or St. Sixtus' Abbey, Westvleteren, which belongs to the Cistercians of Strict Observance or Trappists, is located in Westvleteren, West Flanders, in Belgium. The abbey is famous for its spiritual life and its brewery, one of the several breweries of Trappist beer in Belgium. Life in the abbey is characterised by prayer, reading and manual work, the three basic elements of Trappist life.

History

9th to 18th Century

The earliest traces of a monastic presence at the location of the present day abbey, date back to 1260, although the "Cella Beborna" which is mentioned in a deed of 806 (from the abbey of Saint-Omer), was probably located in the same area (known at that time as "Fletrinio"). From 1260 to 1355 there was a small community of nuns on the side of the Catsberg. That site was abandoned, but between 1610 and 1784 a monastery of the Bridgettines (the Order of the Most Holy Saviour) was located on what is called "Fathers' Corner".

19th Century

In 1831 the hermit Jan-Baptist Victoor was joined by a prior and a few monks in the woods of Saint Sixtus, and this group developed into the later Trappist abbey of Saint Sixtus in Westvleteren. In 1838 the Westvleteren Brewery was founded inside the abbey precinct. In 1839 a primary school was established and in 1840 the "old church" of the priory was built. In 1850, a group of monks from Westvleteren founded Scourmont Abbey on the barren plateau of Scourmont near Chimay. In 1871 the priory was granted the status of abbey by Pope Pius IX. Between 1875 and 1878 a model farm was developed as an example for the region.

20th Century

During World War I the abbey provided shelter to many refugees from the region and in addition almost 400,000 allied soldiers lived in and around the abbey. World War II was a difficult time for the monastery in several respects. After the war, in 1945, the abbot decided to reduce the capacity of the brewery to produce only 4,800 hectolitres a year. In 1964 the guesthouse was built, and a new abbey church was added in 1968.

ources

* Monks of Westmalle Abbey, 1904: "Geschiedenis der Abdij van het Heilig Hart van Jezus te Westmalle" (p.135). Westmalle
* Van Remoortere, J., 1990: "Ippa's Abdijengids voor Belgie" (pp.418-420). Lannoo

External links

* [http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/home.htm St. Sixtus' Abbey, Westvleteren: official website]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Westvleteren — is a village in the province of West Flanders, Belgium. It is a section of the municipality of Vleteren. Westvleteren is primarily known for the Westvleteren Brewery ( nl. Brouwerij Westvleteren), a brewery founded in 1838 inside the Trappist… …   Wikipedia

  • Westvleteren Brewery — Infobox Brewery name = Westvleteren Brewery caption = location = Westvleteren Belgium owner = opened = 1838 production = 4750 hl active beers = seasonal beers = other beers = The Westvleteren Brewery (Brouwerij Westvleteren) is a Belgian brewery… …   Wikipedia

  • Scourmont Abbey — church For other religious houses based in Chimay, see Chimay Abbey Scourmont Abbey (Abbaye Notre Dame de Scourmont) is a Trappist monastery on the Scourmont plateau, in the village of Forges which is part of Chimay in the province of …   Wikipedia

  • Westmalle Abbey — The Trappist Abbey of Westmalle or Abdij van Onze Lieve Vrouw van het Heilig Hart (E: Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred heart), which belongs to the Cistercians of Strict Observance, is located in Westmalle (Malle), in the Campine region of the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Christian religious houses in Belgium — This is a list, as yet incomplete, of Christian religious houses, both extant and dissolved, in Belgium, for both men and women. All listed so far are Roman Catholic. NOTOC A*Achel Abbey ( Sint Benedictusabdij van Achel , de Achelse Kluis or Onze …   Wikipedia

  • Cistercians — coat of arms Vietnamese Cistercian monks standing in a cloi …   Wikipedia

  • Trappists — This article is about the Cistercian order. For the beer, see Trappist beer. For the telescope, see TRAPPIST. Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance Abbreviation Order of Trappists (O.C.S.O.) …   Wikipedia

  • Beer in Belgium — Belgium brewed Westvleteren beers.[1] Beer in Belgium varies from the popular pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. Belgian beer brewing s origins go back to the Middle Ages. There are approximately 178 breweries in …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Klöster — Dies ist eine Liste von bestehenden und ehemaligen Klöstern, geordnet nach Ordensgemeinschaft und Land. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Listen von Klöstern 2 Katholisch 2.1 Antoniter 2.2 Augustiner Chorherren …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste von Abteien — Dies ist eine Liste von bestehenden und ehemaligen Klöstern, geordnet nach Ordensgemeinschaft und Land. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Listen von Klöstern 2 Katholisch 2.1 Antoniter 2.2 Augustiner Chorherren …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”