Maredsous Abbey, Denée, Belgium

Maredsous Abbey was founded in 1872 by Beuron Abbey in Germany. The foundation was supported financially by the Desclée family, who paid for the design and construction of the spectacular buildings, which are the masterwork of the architect Jean-Baptiste de Béthune (1831–1894), leader of the neo-gothic style in Belgium. The overall plan is based on the 13th century Cistercian abbey of Villers at Villers-la-Ville in Walloon Brabant. The frescos however were undertaken by the art school of the mother-house at Beuron, much against the will of Béthune and Desclée, who dismissed the Beuron style as 'Assyrian-Bavarian'. Construction was finished in 1892.

Maredsous Abbey is also known for the production of Maredsous cheese. It is a loaf-shaped cheese made from cow's milk. The cheese is lightly pressed, then washed in brine to create the firm, orange crust and pungent aroma. The abbey also licenses its name to Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, since 1963 the makers of Maredsous beer.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Tomáš Hach (10 months ago)
Very nice environment, good food and beer, children playground,... Place to easily fall in love with.

Bekky Volume Music (10 months ago)
A majestic abbey with a large territory. Very well maintained and in good condition. Excellent acoustics for singing. Thank you for your hospitality! With gratitude from Estonia.

Thorsten Tonkes (11 months ago)
A beautiful Abbey where you can learn about the rich history of the pilgrimages that where made here and from here. It is still an active Abbey so there are still monks practitioning their faith. It also has a guesthouse where you can eat, drink and get souvenirs. My only suggestion would be that they offer something for people who live a vegan lifestyle so they can also partake in the food and holy beers that are being served.

Pascal Lebon (12 months ago)
Lovely place for a stroll and lunch

Sayandip Chakraborty (14 months ago)
Very nice place for a weekend visit. Easily accessible by bike and car. The beer from here is also nice. Recommended to visit.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

Maredsous Abbey

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche