Villers Abbey, Villers-la-Ville, Belgium

Villers Abbey (abbaye de Villers) is an ancient Cistercian abbey in Villers-la-Ville. In 1146, 12 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, 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 70 years to build and was completed by the end of the century.

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, although this is possibly an exaggeration. 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.

The church, although in ruins, is an outstanding example of Cistercian architecture, with imposing vaulting, arches, and rose windows.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Lenka Csandová (2 years ago)
Ruins of an abbey with nice gardens. Nice place for a trip to spend there half a day. We made it quick - it took us 1,5 hour. The mobile application didn't work for us, but there are also some panels with text if the app doesn't work for you. Entrance fee is 9€ for adults, parking is free.

marius radu (2 years ago)
Lovely gardens, relaxing walks. The kids loved playing in the underground passages. If you want to take advantage of everything, plan to be there for the whole day. A lot to read about everything + extra information online - you just need to scan a QR code. We didn't do it so I cannot comment on this. Bring a picnic or snacks or wait until you finish the visit - there's a restaurant once you get out. Teachers get free entrance.

Dima Kravtsov (2 years ago)
Super photogenic place to spend few hours! Even more, it's allowed to enter with a dog, they even provide a bowl with water for dogs at both entrances and allow to enter their super friendly restaurant in the main building with dogs. Across the street there is a spacious parking, which supposed to be free of charge. At least nobody asked to pay ?.

MLVC CN (2 years ago)
A worthy trip out of the city center. This ruins is well taken care of and it is worth the price of the visit. On the entrance area, you'll find a long history carved in steel which leads to the ruins. During our visit, there was some photo exposition around the area. Some areas were on maintenance but the main areas are really amazing with some explanations as to what were the Chambers and rooms were before. It's a must see in the Wallonie region.

Bruno van de Werve (2 years ago)
Really nice walk back in time and in plain nature. We loved the fact that the place is still very raw and authentic. Dont expect typical flashy touristic features and infrastructure! Hope it stays that way ?

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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