Averbode Abbey
Encyclopedia
Averbode Abbey is a Premonstratensian
monastery situated near Diest
(Flemish Brabant
), in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels in Belgium
.
. With land donations from the Abbey of Sint-Truiden
, the lords of Aarschot
and Diest
, and some years later Godfrey III of Leuven
, the abbey was situated right on the border of the County of Loon and the Duchy of Brabant
. The first monks and abbot Andreas came from the Sint-Michielsabdij in Antwerp, founded in 1124.
The abbey started rather small but grew over the centuries, until it was some 5500 ha
in the Seventeenth century, including farms, fields, woodland, mills, heath, and local chapels. The abbey also provided the priest for 27 parish
es. The first abbey church was inaugurated in 1194, and soon after the nuns, who until then resided in Averbode as well, moved to Keizerbos, where it stayed until it disappeared in 1796.
New buildings were erected all the time at the abbey. The gatehouse, built at the end of the 14th century, is the oldest remaining building. The church and part of the abbey was destroyed by a fire after a lightning strike on October 25, 1499.
The abbey went through a prosperous period in the first half of the 16th century, under abbot Gerard vander Schaeft. The church was rebuilt and richly decorated. Unrest and plundering troops made it necessary to flee the abbey four times in this period. Political and religious instability in the latter half of the century, with the Beeldenstorm
, made the monks flee the abbey again in 1578 to the refuge of Diest. After the death of 12 monks in 1579 due to the bubonic plague
, reduced the abbey to only 28 monks in 1584. They returned to Averbode only in 1604.
The Seventeenth century saw a return in strength of the abbey, with 80 monks by 1670. Between 1664 and 1672, a new church was built, and almost all buildings were rebuilt during this century. At the end of the 18th century, in 1789, the Brabantse Omwenteling started a period of great political turmoil, with the French and the Austrians fighting for the control over Brabant. Travelling troops heavily damaged the abbey. After the French disbanded most abbeys on September 1, 1796, the abbey of Averbode was evicted on February 14, 1797. Most parts of the library and the archive were brought to safety beforehand, and the abbot and some monks fled across the Rhine. In 1802, brother Ignatius Carleer bought the abbey, and some monks were able to return. The church was used as parochial church for Averbode. Due to financial problems, most of the church treasure had to be sold. Meanwhile, the library and archive were seized by the government and transferred to the University of Liège
and the Royal Archives of Belgium in Brussels.
for the abbeys of Postel
,
Grimbergen
and Tongerlo
. By 1840, there were again 23 people connected to the abbey, a figure which slowly rose to 31 in 1850 and 43 in 1868, of which only 19 actually stayed in the abbey. Most of the others where parish priests.
In 1877, the abbey founded a "Broederschap van O.-L.-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart" ("Brotherhood of Our Mother of the Holy Heart"), linked with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
of Issoudun
. This brotherhood would give a new elan to the abbey and define its status and works until today. Membership soared, with 60,000 in 1879 and 100,000 in 1883, reaching 400,000 by 1894. In 1881, a first press was bought to print the magazines and leaflets for the Brotherhood. In the meantime, the judicial status of the abbey was still unclear, and in 1887 the abbey was sold to the Countess of Merode
, and most of the ground to her father. In the years before World War I
, the abbey prospered and grew through the Brotherhood and the printing activities, with some of its magazines printed on more than 100,000 copies. The Abbey was now the largest employer of the region, and built social houses for its employees 1899 and created a cooperative dairy in 1907 and a bank in 1911.
The Abbey was at the time a motor of the village life, with also a school, a harmony, a library and a thespian society, and as the center of Maria centred pilgrimage, which attracted many visitors and benefited the local shops and bars.
In 1896, the abbey first started with missionary work, when two monks left for Pirapora
in Brazil
, where they started a school which also served as the seminary
until 1949. Another school was started in Jaguarão
in 1901, which was moved to Jaú
in 1915. The college in Petropolis
came under the leadership of Averbode in 1909 as well. A second mission started in 1903 in Denmark
, where the abbey founded the parish of Vejle
, with a new Roman Catholic school and from 1913 on a hospital.
ic Crusade") was founded, a movement to bring the faithful more in line with the Church and its doctrines, in line with the teachings of pope Pius X. The priest Edward Poppe
, although not a member of the abbey, was the leading force behind the Crusade until his death in 1924 at the age of 34. New youth magazines were created as a means to spread the Crusade amongst the youth, who were the main target of the movement. These would become the second main branch of the printing activities, together with the purely religious publications.
In the early 1930s, the abbey cale in financial problems due to the high costs of new buildings for the abbey and machinery for the publishing company. A reorganisation, which made of the publishing company a separate company owned by the abbey instead of an integral part of the abbey, and a strict financial control helped the abbey to pay of the debts over the next decade. On the other hand flourished the abbey now more than ever; due to the success of the Brotherhood, the Crusade and the missions, and to the population explosion in Belgium, the numbers of monks increased to 230 by 1937.
The central buildings of the abbey apart from the church burned almost down to the ground on December 29, 1942. In 1945, a school in Brasschaat
which was run by the abbey was hit by a V-1 flying bomb
, killing a monk and three priests. The abbey reached its greatest population in 1959 with 242 people, 88 of which resided in the abbey. The others were divided over the missions, schools, dependencies and parishes maintained or serviced by Averbode. In the same year, a second int-Michielscollege was founded in Schoten
, complementary to the one in Brasschaat
. In Brazil, a new parish in Piracicaba
was started, and an abbey was founded in Salto
in 1963.
The general decline of Roman Catholicism in Western Europe and especially in Flanders started to affect the abbey of Averbode as well though, and the works on the new abbey in Brazil were stopped, and the college of Jaú
was closed down. The schools in Brasschaat and Schoten saw the monks leave as well, but continued to exist. The publishing activities also were more and more led by laymen, and the printing activities were sold in 1996. Today (2011) the abbey houses 78 canons, of which 45 live and work in the abbey.
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
monastery situated near Diest
Diest
Diest is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of...
(Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
), in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
1134-1800
Averbode Abbey was founded about 1134-1135 by Count Arnold II of LoonCounty of Loon
The County of Loon was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, lying west of the Meuse river in present-day Flemish-speaking Belgium, and east of the old Duchy of Brabant. The most important cities of the county were Beringen, Bilzen, Borgloon, Bree, Hamont, Hasselt, Herk-de-Stad, Maaseik, Peer and...
. With land donations from the Abbey of Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, near the towns of Hasselt and Tongeren. The municipality includes the old communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden,...
, the lords of Aarschot
Aarschot
Aarschot is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On January 1, 2006 Aarschot had a total population of 27,864...
and Diest
Diest
Diest is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of...
, and some years later Godfrey III of Leuven
Godfrey III of Leuven
Godfrey III was count of Leuven , landgrave of Brabant, margrave of Antwerp, and duke of Lower Lorraine from 1142 to his death.He was the son of Godfrey II and Lutgarde of Sulzbach...
, the abbey was situated right on the border of the County of Loon and the Duchy of Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
. The first monks and abbot Andreas came from the Sint-Michielsabdij in Antwerp, founded in 1124.
The abbey started rather small but grew over the centuries, until it was some 5500 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
in the Seventeenth century, including farms, fields, woodland, mills, heath, and local chapels. The abbey also provided the priest for 27 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es. The first abbey church was inaugurated in 1194, and soon after the nuns, who until then resided in Averbode as well, moved to Keizerbos, where it stayed until it disappeared in 1796.
New buildings were erected all the time at the abbey. The gatehouse, built at the end of the 14th century, is the oldest remaining building. The church and part of the abbey was destroyed by a fire after a lightning strike on October 25, 1499.
The abbey went through a prosperous period in the first half of the 16th century, under abbot Gerard vander Schaeft. The church was rebuilt and richly decorated. Unrest and plundering troops made it necessary to flee the abbey four times in this period. Political and religious instability in the latter half of the century, with the Beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm in Dutch, roughly translatable to "statue storm", or Bildersturm in German , also the Iconoclastic Fury, is a term used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century...
, made the monks flee the abbey again in 1578 to the refuge of Diest. After the death of 12 monks in 1579 due to the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
, reduced the abbey to only 28 monks in 1584. They returned to Averbode only in 1604.
The Seventeenth century saw a return in strength of the abbey, with 80 monks by 1670. Between 1664 and 1672, a new church was built, and almost all buildings were rebuilt during this century. At the end of the 18th century, in 1789, the Brabantse Omwenteling started a period of great political turmoil, with the French and the Austrians fighting for the control over Brabant. Travelling troops heavily damaged the abbey. After the French disbanded most abbeys on September 1, 1796, the abbey of Averbode was evicted on February 14, 1797. Most parts of the library and the archive were brought to safety beforehand, and the abbot and some monks fled across the Rhine. In 1802, brother Ignatius Carleer bought the abbey, and some monks were able to return. The church was used as parochial church for Averbode. Due to financial problems, most of the church treasure had to be sold. Meanwhile, the library and archive were seized by the government and transferred to the University of Liège
University of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
and the Royal Archives of Belgium in Brussels.
1834-1918
The abbey was reestablished on December 14, 1834 with the twelve surviving monks of 1796. Averbode also served as novitiateNovitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
for the abbeys of Postel
Postel Abbey
Postel Abbey is a Premonstratensian abbey in the Belgian municipality of Mol in the province of Antwerp.-History:In 1138 Premonstratensian canons from Floreffe Abbey founded the monastery at Postel as a dependent priory. In 1613 Postel became independent of Floreffe and in 1618 was raised to the...
,
Grimbergen
Grimbergen Abbey
Grimbergen Abbey was a Premonstratensian monastery in Grimbergen, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, established in 1128 in the place of an earlier foundation of Augustinian Canons....
and Tongerlo
Tongerlo Abbey
Tongerlo Abbey is a Premonstratensian monastery at Tongerlo in Westerlo near Antwerp, Belgium.-History:It was founded in 1128 in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Giselbert of Kasterlee, who not only gave the land, but also himself became a lay brother in the new community. The first monks were...
. By 1840, there were again 23 people connected to the abbey, a figure which slowly rose to 31 in 1850 and 43 in 1868, of which only 19 actually stayed in the abbey. Most of the others where parish priests.
In 1877, the abbey founded a "Broederschap van O.-L.-Vrouw van het Heilig Hart" ("Brotherhood of Our Mother of the Holy Heart"), linked with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is a missionary congregation in the Latin Church,one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church led by the Bishop of Rome...
of Issoudun
Issoudun
Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.-History:...
. This brotherhood would give a new elan to the abbey and define its status and works until today. Membership soared, with 60,000 in 1879 and 100,000 in 1883, reaching 400,000 by 1894. In 1881, a first press was bought to print the magazines and leaflets for the Brotherhood. In the meantime, the judicial status of the abbey was still unclear, and in 1887 the abbey was sold to the Countess of Merode
House of Merode
The princely house of Merode is one of the most important houses of the Belgian nobility.The surname of the family and the name of the House is mostly written de Mérode in but was originally von Merode due to the German descent of the House...
, and most of the ground to her father. In the years before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the abbey prospered and grew through the Brotherhood and the printing activities, with some of its magazines printed on more than 100,000 copies. The Abbey was now the largest employer of the region, and built social houses for its employees 1899 and created a cooperative dairy in 1907 and a bank in 1911.
The Abbey was at the time a motor of the village life, with also a school, a harmony, a library and a thespian society, and as the center of Maria centred pilgrimage, which attracted many visitors and benefited the local shops and bars.
In 1896, the abbey first started with missionary work, when two monks left for Pirapora
Pirapora
Pirapora is a municipality in northcentral Minas Gerais in Brazil. Its population in 2007 was 51,636 in a total area of 577 km². The name Pirapora comes from the Tupi words for "fish" + "jump", referring to the piracema season when a mass migration of fishes ascends the São Francisco River...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where they started a school which also served as the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
until 1949. Another school was started in Jaguarão
Jaguarão
Jaguarão is a town in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul located on the shores of the Jaguarão River bordering Uruguay.Is there a place of Battle of Jaguarão-External links:*...
in 1901, which was moved to Jaú
Jaú
Jaú is a municipality in the center of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The population in 2008 was 133,333 and the area is 690.18 km². The elevation is 522 m...
in 1915. The college in Petropolis
Petrópolis
Petrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....
came under the leadership of Averbode in 1909 as well. A second mission started in 1903 in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, where the abbey founded the parish of Vejle
Vejle
Vejle is a town in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle and Grejs Rivers and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality and the Region of Southern Denmark...
, with a new Roman Catholic school and from 1913 on a hospital.
1921-...
In 1921, the abbey was able to buy back its buildings and grounds from the family de Merode. The year before, the "Eucharistische Kruistocht" ("EucharistEucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
ic Crusade") was founded, a movement to bring the faithful more in line with the Church and its doctrines, in line with the teachings of pope Pius X. The priest Edward Poppe
Edward Poppe
Edward Poppe was a Belgian priest. He was declared blessed by Pope John Paul II on 3 October 1999.-Biography:Edward Joannes Maria Poppe was born in Temse in 1890 as the third child and eldest son of a baker...
, although not a member of the abbey, was the leading force behind the Crusade until his death in 1924 at the age of 34. New youth magazines were created as a means to spread the Crusade amongst the youth, who were the main target of the movement. These would become the second main branch of the printing activities, together with the purely religious publications.
In the early 1930s, the abbey cale in financial problems due to the high costs of new buildings for the abbey and machinery for the publishing company. A reorganisation, which made of the publishing company a separate company owned by the abbey instead of an integral part of the abbey, and a strict financial control helped the abbey to pay of the debts over the next decade. On the other hand flourished the abbey now more than ever; due to the success of the Brotherhood, the Crusade and the missions, and to the population explosion in Belgium, the numbers of monks increased to 230 by 1937.
The central buildings of the abbey apart from the church burned almost down to the ground on December 29, 1942. In 1945, a school in Brasschaat
Brasschaat
Brasschaat is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Brasschaat proper. In November 2006, Brasschaat won the LivCom-Award 2006 for the most liveable municipality in the world....
which was run by the abbey was hit by a V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
, killing a monk and three priests. The abbey reached its greatest population in 1959 with 242 people, 88 of which resided in the abbey. The others were divided over the missions, schools, dependencies and parishes maintained or serviced by Averbode. In the same year, a second int-Michielscollege was founded in Schoten
Schoten
Schoten is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Schoten proper. On January 1, 2006 Schoten had a total population of 33,160. The total area is which gives a population density of 1,122 inhabitants per km². Schoten abuts the...
, complementary to the one in Brasschaat
Brasschaat
Brasschaat is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Brasschaat proper. In November 2006, Brasschaat won the LivCom-Award 2006 for the most liveable municipality in the world....
. In Brazil, a new parish in Piracicaba
Piracicaba
Piracicaba is a city located in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The population in 2009 was 368,843 in an area of 1,369.511 km², at an elevation of 547 m above sea level.-Name:...
was started, and an abbey was founded in Salto
Salto, São Paulo
Salto is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The elevation is 555 m. The city has one main river, rio Tietê. Poll from 2004 shows the population is 103.884.The city has an important geological park: "Moutonée Park"....
in 1963.
The general decline of Roman Catholicism in Western Europe and especially in Flanders started to affect the abbey of Averbode as well though, and the works on the new abbey in Brazil were stopped, and the college of Jaú
Jaú
Jaú is a municipality in the center of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The population in 2008 was 133,333 and the area is 690.18 km². The elevation is 522 m...
was closed down. The schools in Brasschaat and Schoten saw the monks leave as well, but continued to exist. The publishing activities also were more and more led by laymen, and the printing activities were sold in 1996. Today (2011) the abbey houses 78 canons, of which 45 live and work in the abbey.