Impressive historical remains, an atmosphere cut off from the world and out of time: we highly recommend a visit to the extraordinary Villers Abbey, in Villers-la-Ville, Belgium. This heritage treasure is just 1 hour’s drive from Brussels. Ideal for a weekend getaway!
Villers Abbey, an influential abbey
By the end of the 12th century, the idea of an abbey in Villers had already been put forward by French monks, freshly arrived in the Walloon countryside in 1146. The sites considered changed twice, before the one we know today – upstream from the Bois d’Hez and the town’s ponds and streams – was finally chosen by a certain Abbé Charles. In 1197, construction began on what was to become one of the most influential abbeys in the Cistercian Order…
Villers Abbey reached its first apogee in the 13th century, with around 100 monks and 300 converses. Weakened in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Abbey enjoyed a second golden age in the 18th century with the renovation of some of its buildings in neoclassical style. It also saw the construction of major new buildings, such as the Palais Abbatial and the Chapelle Saint-Bernard.
The French Revolution caused considerable damage to Villers Abbey, both to its buildings and its operations. The estate was confiscated by the French, who made it one of their “Bien National”. They then expelled the monks from the Abbey in 1796. This was the beginning of the end. Since then, Villers Abbey has gradually fallen into ruin. It was even used as a quarry in the early 19th century.
Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes
The rise of the train and tourism, facilitated by the creation of the Louvain-Charleroi railway line in 1855, changed all that. Soon, important figures from the world of aristocracy and art were coming to visit these magisterial ruins! The Count of Flanders and Prince Philippe, the Duchess of Brabant Marie-Henriette, Leopold II… And even author Victor Hugo, who describes a passage in “Les Misérables”.
The Belgian State expropriated the site in 1892 and began a series of restorations and consolidations, which continued in stages until the early 2000s. In 2016, a new visitor center in the mill and a new tour route were inaugurated, reuniting the entire abbey complex. The ruins have been classified as a Historic Monument since 1972.
Since 2012, magnificent new gardens have populated the estate. Numerous cherry and rose trees, a “Jardin des Senteurs”, others with a medieval influence… Villers Abbey, whose ruins host many cultural events, plays host to concerts, theater, exhibitions, events, film shoots and even a microbrewery festival!
📍Address: Rue de l’Abbaye 55, 1495 Villers-la-Ville