Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac (Oka, Quebec)
Encyclopedia
The Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac (fr
. Abbaye Notre-Dame du Lac), known as the Oka Abbey (fr. Abbaye Cistercienne d'Oka), was a Trappist
Cistercian monastery
located in Oka, Quebec
. The main monastery building is of grey stone and is accompanied by a dozen outbuildings, all of which are situated on a 270 hectare property.
, Maine-et-Loire
, France
by the army of the French Third Republic
, in November 1880 the Trappists
members of the Order living at the Abbaye were expelled from the country. After receiving an invitation by Father Victor Rousselot of the Grand Seminary of the Sulpician Order in Montreal, Canada, eight Trappists' Monks emigrated to Quebec in April 1881 to establish a new foundation. From their vast Quebec holdings, the Sulpician Order offered the Trappists a parcel of land at their property on the Lake of Two Mountains at Oka, Quebec. (Situated northwest of Montreal in the region of Deux-Montagnes). Naming the property La Trappe after Soligny-la-Trappe
in France where the Order had been founded in 1662, the monks established the monastery. Within a few years, through an affiliation with the Université de Montréal
, the monastery
created an agricultural school under the name of Oka Agricultural Institute, and affiliated with the Université de Montréal
. Along with this agricultural school, the Abbey supported itself by producing products such as Oka cheese
and Port-Salut cheese
.
At its peak, the monastery housed upwards of 200 monks, but by the early 21st century only 28 brothers (half of whom were over 70) remained. Today, the abbey is no longer a working monastery, having been donated by the diminishing number of monks as a non-profit center to preserve the site's heritage.
The Trappist have built a new monastery. They have changed their name to Val Notre-Dame.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Abbaye Notre-Dame du Lac), known as the Oka Abbey (fr. Abbaye Cistercienne d'Oka), was a Trappist
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
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...
located in Oka, Quebec
Oka, Quebec
-References:...
. The main monastery building is of grey stone and is accompanied by a dozen outbuildings, all of which are situated on a 270 hectare property.
History
Following the seizure of the Cistercian Order's Abbaye de Bellefontaine in Bégrolles-en-MaugesBégrolles-en-Mauges
Bégrolles-en-Mauges is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
, Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire is a department in west-central France, in the Pays de la Loire region.- History :Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by the army of the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
, in November 1880 the Trappists
Trappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
members of the Order living at the Abbaye were expelled from the country. After receiving an invitation by Father Victor Rousselot of the Grand Seminary of the Sulpician Order in Montreal, Canada, eight Trappists' Monks emigrated to Quebec in April 1881 to establish a new foundation. From their vast Quebec holdings, the Sulpician Order offered the Trappists a parcel of land at their property on the Lake of Two Mountains at Oka, Quebec. (Situated northwest of Montreal in the region of Deux-Montagnes). Naming the property La Trappe after Soligny-la-Trappe
Soligny-la-Trappe
Soligny-la-Trappe is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.* Population: 702* Area: 19.50 km²* Altitude: 267 mSoligny-la-Trappe is the location of La Trappe Abbey, where the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, or Trappists, was founded in 1664 by a converted courtier...
in France where the Order had been founded in 1662, the monks established the monastery. Within a few years, through an affiliation with the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, the 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...
created an agricultural school under the name of Oka Agricultural Institute, and affiliated with the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
. Along with this agricultural school, the Abbey supported itself by producing products such as Oka cheese
Oka cheese
Oka cheese was originally manufactured by the Trappist monks, who are located in Oka, Quebec, Canada. The cheese is named after the town. It has a distinct flavour and aroma, and is still manufactured in Oka, although now by a commercial company, the rights having been sold in 1996 by Les Peres...
and Port-Salut cheese
Port-Salut cheese
S.A.F.R Port Salut is a semi-soft pasteurised cow's milk cheese from Mayenne, France, with a distinctive orange crust and a mild flavour. The cheese is produced in disks approximately 23 cm in diameter, weighing approximately 2 kg .Though Port Salut has a mild flavour, it sometimes has...
.
At its peak, the monastery housed upwards of 200 monks, but by the early 21st century only 28 brothers (half of whom were over 70) remained. Today, the abbey is no longer a working monastery, having been donated by the diminishing number of monks as a non-profit center to preserve the site's heritage.
The Trappist have built a new monastery. They have changed their name to Val Notre-Dame.