Val-Dieu Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 in the Berwinne

Berwinne

The Berwinne is a river of eastern Belgium, right tributary of the Meuse. It flows for 31.9 kilometres through the provinces of Liège and Limburg. Its source is in the eastern part of the municipality Aubel, near the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial...

 valley near Aubel

Aubel

Aubel is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Liège. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 4,082 inhabitants. The total area is 18.83 km², giving a population density of 217 inhabitants per km²....

 in the Land of Herve

Land of Herve

The Land of Herve is a 420 km² natural region of Wallonia located between the Vesdre and Meuse rivers and the borders separating Belgium from the Netherlands and Germany....

 (province of Liège

Liège (province)

Liège is the easternmost province of Belgium and belongs to the Walloon Region. It is an area of French and German ethnicity. It borders on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and in Belgium the provinces of Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant , and those of Flemish Brabant and Limburg . Its...

, 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...

).

History

In 1216 a few monk

Monk

A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

s from Hocht, A part of Lanaken, near Maastricht

Maastricht

Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...

, settled in the uninhabited valley which was part of the border between the duchy of Limburg

Duchy of Limburg

The Duchy of Limburg, situated in the Low Countries between the river Meuse and the city of Aachen, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory is now divided between the Belgian provinces of Liège and Limburg , the Dutch province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in...

 and the county of Dalhem

Dalhem

Dalhem is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. On January 1, 2006 Dalhem had a total population of 6,486. The total area is 36.06 km² which gives a population density of 180 inhabitants per km²....

; they called their settlement Vallis Dei .

The abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of the Limburg Succession

War of the Limburg Succession

The War of the Limburg Succession, was a series of conflicts between 1283 and 1289 for the succession in the Duchy of Limburg.The cause of the War of the Limburg Succession was the death of Waleran IV, Duke of Limburg in 1280, and his only daughter Ermengarde of Limburg in 1283. Waleran IV had no...

. The church was rebuilt and destroyed again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV

Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...

. Under the jurisdiction of abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 until 1749, the abbey enjoyed its most flourishing period. It was dissolved during the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, when the church was destroyed for the fourth time.

The remaining buildings were left empty until 1844, when they were resettled by the last living monk of Val-Dieu from the time before the Revolution together with four monks from Bornem Abbey.

The abbey was closed again in 2001, when the last three monks left. Since 1 January 2002 a small lay

Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

 community has lived there, under the leadership of rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 Jean-Pierre Schenkelaars, overseen by the regional ecclesiastical authorities, in association with the Cistercian Order.

Brewery

In 1997 the Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu

Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu

Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu is a Belgian abbey beer brewery. It produces three beers:*Val-Dieu Blonde*Val-Dieu Brune*Val-Dieu TripleThe brewery is located inside Val-Dieu Abbey, near the town of Aubel....

 was established in the abbey farm, and brews a recognized abbey beer in the tradition of the former Val-Dieu monks.

Sources

• Val-Dieu brewery
• De Tijd
  De Tijd
  De Tijd , formerly De Financieel-Economische Tijd , is a Belgian broadsheet newspaper that mainly focuses on business and economics...
  
  , Vallei van kaas en siroop, 24 December 2005