Averbode Abbey

Averbode was founded in 1134 and is one of the Premonstratensian abbeys of the Low Countries still occupied by a community, with a Gothic gatehouse of 1400, a baroque abbey church of 1664 to 1672 by Jan van den Eynde with a tall facade and a light interior, and cloister and residential buildings from several periods around a court. Brewing has been associated with the abbey since the medieval period and an Averbode beer is produced under licence today, with a brewery and tasting room on the site alongside a bookshop and a large publishing operation the community runs. Around the abbey lie the sandy heaths, pine plantations and fens of the Kempen, with marked walks from the abbey gate.

History

Arnold II, Count of Loon, founded the abbey about 1134-1135 on the border of Loon and Brabant, with canons and their abbot Andreas from Sint-Michiel in Antwerp; the first church was inaugurated in 1194, the gatehouse of the late 14th century is the oldest surviving building, and by the 17th century the abbey held some 5,500 hectares and served 27 parishes. Lightning set fire to the church on 25 October 1499, the abbey prospered under abbot Gerard vander Schaeft in the early 16th century, the present church was built between 1664 and 1672 to a design by Jan Van den Eynde II, and after its suppression in 1797 the abbey was refounded on 14 December 1834 with the 12 surviving monks (Wikipedia, Averbode Abbey).

What you'll find

• The baroque abbey church - a tall facade and light interior of the 1660s.
• The Gothic gatehouse - the medieval entrance of 1400.
• Abbey brewing and tasting - the beer produced on the site.
• Kempen heath walks - sandy heath and pine from the abbey gate.

When to go

April to October for the walks and the grounds; the church is open year round. Two to three hours including a walk. The brewery has its own hours. Weekends are busy with Flemish day visitors.

What to expect

It is a working religious community and access to the cloister and residential buildings is restricted. Interpretation is largely in Dutch. The brewery and tasting operation is commercial. Public transport is a bus.

Nearby

Scherpenheuvel is south; Diest lies south-east.

Key facts