- Brecht Abbey
Brecht Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Our Lady of Nazareth, is an abbey of
Trappist nuns located in Brecht, in theCampine region of the province of Antwerp (Flanders ,Belgium ). Life in the abbey is characterised by prayer, reading and manual work, the three basic elements of Trappist life.Early history
In 1236 the nunnery of Our Lady of Nazareth at Lier (
Duchy of Brabant ) was accepted into theCistercian Order (SaintBeatrice of Nazareth (1200-1268) was its first prioress).For five centuries the abbey flourished, until 1797, when it was closed in the aftermath of the
French Revolution , whenFrance occupied theAustrian Netherlands . The abbey did not recover from the closure even after theBelgian Revolution in 1830, when Belgium gained independence from theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands .Modern history
In the early twentieth century several attempts were made to re-establish the abbey at different locations. During
World War II in 1943, Henri van Ostayen was in favor of locating the new abbey in Brecht, of which he wasburgomaster , but was killed inAntwerp by aV-1 flying bomb before the end of the war. His proposal was however taken up by Robertus (Edward Jozef Modest) Eyckmans, abbot of the nearbyWestmalle Abbey , who obtained the agreement ofSoleilmont Abbey to provide the community of 13 nuns necessary to settle a new foundation. On12 October 1945 the organization for founding a new abbey was established, and in 1946 about 16hectare s of land were acquired in Brecht for the new building, as the old site in Lier was no longer available. The monks of Westmalle Abbey prepared the site of the abbey, which was ready by the end of 1949.Thirteen nuns left Soleilmont and headed for Brecht on
23 June 1950 :Agnes Swevers (Abbess ), Lucia Delaere, Heleen Steylaers, Humbelina Roelandts, Idesbalda van Soest, Lutgard Smeets, Maria Marlier, Petra Belet, Juliana Rutten, Harlindis Gerits, Roberta Koeken, Alberica Hauchecorne, and novice Roza van den Bosch. They entered the convent on25 June 1950 , which on3 February 1951 became an abbey. The church was dedicated on22 October 1954 .Brecht Abbey founded
Our Lady of the Redwoods Abbey in 1962 in WhitethornCalifornia (USA ) [ [http://www.redwoodsabbey.org/ Redwoods Abbey website] ] and in 1970 thePriory of Our Lady of Klaarland in Bocholt (Belgium ).References
ources
* Van Remoortere, J., 1990: "Ippa's Abdijengids voor Belgie" (pp. 72-75). Lannoo
* Cassianus, J., 1985: "Brecht, Abdij Nazareth"External links
* [http://www.abdijnazareth.be/frames/hoofdframe.htm Abbey of Our Lady of Nazareth] nl icon
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