La Cambre Abbey
Encyclopedia
The Abbey of La Cambre or Ter Kameren Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey
in Ixelles, Brussels
, Belgium
. It is located in the Maelbeek valley between the Bois de la Cambre and the Ixelles Ponds
. The abbey church is a catholic parish
of the Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels while other parts of the monastery are housing the headquarters of the Belgian National Geographic Institute and La Cambre
, a prestigious visual arts
school.
The abbey was founded about 1196. It was suppressed at the French Revolution
. Today's buildings are from the 18th century. The simple abbey church houses Albert Bouts' early 16th-century The Mocking of Christ.
. The 18th-century abbesses' residence, with its cour d'honneur
and formal gardens, has preserved the presbytery
and the stables and other dependencies.
, following the Cistercian rule. Henry I, Duke of Brabant
donated the Étangs d'Ixelles
, a water mill, and the domaine of the monastery. The Abbaye de la Chambre de Notre-Dame, hence La Cambre, remained under the spiritual guidance of Villers, one of the most important Cistercian communities.
Saint Boniface of Brussels
(1182–1260), a native of Ixelles, canon of Sainte-Gudule (future cathedral of Brussels), who taught theology at the University of Paris
and was made bishop of Lausanne (1231), lived eighteen years in the abbey and is interred in the church. The mystic leper
saint Alix lived in the community at the same epoch.
During the numerous wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, the abbey was largely destroyed, but it was rebuilt in the 18th century, in the French form it largely retains.
The terraced garden and formal clipped bosquet
s were restored in the 18th-century manner starting in 1924.
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
in Ixelles, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, 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...
. It is located in the Maelbeek valley between the Bois de la Cambre and the Ixelles Ponds
Ixelles Ponds
The Ixelles Ponds are two freshwater ponds in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles...
. The abbey church is a catholic 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...
of the Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels while other parts of the monastery are housing the headquarters of the Belgian National Geographic Institute and La Cambre
La Cambre
L'École de la Cambre, more known as La Cambre, is a renowned architecture and visual arts school founded by Henry van de Velde in Brussels in 1926....
, a prestigious visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
school.
The abbey was founded about 1196. It was suppressed at 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...
. Today's buildings are from the 18th century. The simple abbey church houses Albert Bouts' early 16th-century The Mocking of Christ.
Architecture
The cloister adjoins the abbey church and the refectoryRefectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
. The 18th-century abbesses' residence, with its cour d'honneur
Cour d'Honneur
Cour d'Honneur is the architectural term for defining a three-sided courtyard, created when the main central block, or corps de logis, is flanked by symmetrical advancing secondary wings, containing minor rooms...
and formal gardens, has preserved the presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
and the stables and other dependencies.
History
The abbey was founded about 1196, by its patroness Gisèle, with the support of the monastic community of the abbey of VillersVillers Abbey
Villers Abbey is an ancient Cistercian abbey located near the town of Villers-la-Ville in the Brabant province of Wallonia , one piece of the Wallonia's Major Heritage. Founded in 1146, the abbey was abandoned in 1796...
, following the Cistercian rule. Henry I, Duke of Brabant
Henry I, Duke of Brabant
Henry I of Brabant , named "The Courageous" Duke of Brabant and Duke of Lower Lotharingia until his death.-Biography:...
donated the Étangs d'Ixelles
Ixelles Ponds
The Ixelles Ponds are two freshwater ponds in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles...
, a water mill, and the domaine of the monastery. The Abbaye de la Chambre de Notre-Dame, hence La Cambre, remained under the spiritual guidance of Villers, one of the most important Cistercian communities.
Saint Boniface of Brussels
Boniface of Brussels
Saint Boniface was bishop of Lausanne from c. 1230 until 1239 when he resigned after being assaulted by agents of Frederick II. His feast day is 19 February. His relics are at the Kapellekerk and at La Cambre Abbey.-External links:*** at St. Patrick's Church*Catholic Encyclopedia article about...
(1182–1260), a native of Ixelles, canon of Sainte-Gudule (future cathedral of Brussels), who taught theology at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and was made bishop of Lausanne (1231), lived eighteen years in the abbey and is interred in the church. The mystic leper
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
saint Alix lived in the community at the same epoch.
During the numerous wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, the abbey was largely destroyed, but it was rebuilt in the 18th century, in the French form it largely retains.
The terraced garden and formal clipped bosquet
Bosquet
In the French formal garden, a bosquet is a formal plantation of trees, at least five of identical species planted as a quincunx, or set in strict regularity as to rank and file, so that the trunks line up as one passes along either face...
s were restored in the 18th-century manner starting in 1924.