Maredsous Abbey
Encyclopedia
Maredsous Abbey is a Benedictine monastery at Denée
Denée (Belgium)
Denée is a Belgian village, since 1977 part of the municipality of Anhée in the province of Namur.Maredsous Abbey is located nearby.-Trivia:...
near Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
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...
. It is a member of the Annunciation Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation
Benedictine Confederation
The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.-Origin:...
.
Foundation
It was founded on 15 November 1872 by Beuron AbbeyBeuron Archabbey
Beuron Archabbey is a major house of the Benedictine Order located at Beuron in the upper Danube valley in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the founder of many religious houses, at the instigation of Hildebrand de Hemptinne, a Belgian monk at Beuron and later abbot of Maredsous.
The foundation was supported financially by the Desclée family, who paid for the design and construction of the spectacular buildings, which are the masterwork of the architect Jean-Baptiste de Béthune (1831–1894), leader of the neo-gothic style in Belgium. The overall plan is based on the 13th century Cistercian abbey of Villers
Villers 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...
at Villers-la-Ville
Villers-la-Ville
Villers-la-Ville is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Villers-la-Ville had a total population of 9,572...
in Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant
Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia in Belgium. It borders on the province of Flemish Brabant and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut . Its capital is Wavre...
. The frescos however were undertaken by the art school
Beuron Art School
The Beuron art school was founded by a confederation of Benedictine monks in Germany in the late nineteenth century.-Notables:In addition to the first abbot of Beuron, Maurus Wolter , who founded the abbey with his brother Placidus in 1863, the early leaders of the artistic school were Father...
of the mother-house at Beuron, much against the will of Béthune and Desclée, who dismissed the Beuron style as "Assyrian-Bavarian". Construction was finished in 1892.
Foundations
Maredsous has either founded, or has been instrumental in the foundation of, a number of other Benedictine houses: St Anselm in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(1893); abbeys 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...
(1895); St-Andries in Zevenkerken, Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
(1899); Keizersberg Abbey
Keizersberg Abbey
Keizersberg Abbey, also known as Mont César Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the hill Keizersberg or Mont César in the north of the university town of Leuven, Belgium.-The site:...
in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
(1899); Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located in Murroe, County Limerick. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. The current abbot of the monastery is Dom Patrick Hederman, OSB...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(1927); Gihindamuyaga in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
(1958); Quévy Abbey
Quévy
Quévy is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Quévy had a total population of 7,734. The total area is 65.16 km² which gives a population density of 119 inhabitants per km²....
in Hainaut (1969).
School of art
The idea of an art school, inspired by that at the mother house, led to the foundation of the School of Applied Arts and Crafts, also known as the St. Joseph School. There was a difference of opinion as to whether it should serve more as a place for training poor children as carpenters, blacksmiths, plumbers and cobblers, or whether it should function more as a centre of fine arts and crafts. It was the latter view that prevailed when the school opened in 1903 under the leadership of Father Pascal Rox, and in due course the production began of neo-gothic works of high quality (vestments, pieces of silver, bindings and so on) destined mostly for the abbey itself. The school's activities were curtailed by World War IWorld 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...
and it was almost closed down in 1919, but it survived by widening its remit to undertaking paid work in a more modern style for outside customers. From 1939 onwards, the emphasis changed more explicitly towards the training of artists rather than skilled craftsmen. In 1964, after establishing an international reputation, the school merged with the Namur School of Crafts to form the I.A.T.A. (Technical Institute of Arts and Crafts) http://www.iata.be/.
Maredsous cheese
Maredsous Abbey is also known for the production of Maredsous cheese. It is a loaf-shaped cheeseCheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
made from cow's milk. The cheese is lightly pressed, then washed in brine to create the firm, orange crust and pungent aroma.
The abbey currently makes five varieties: Maredsous Tradition, Mi-Vieux (half old), Fumé (smoked), Fondu (fondue), Frais (the fresh cheese), Light, and Fagotin.
This semi-soft cheese is very popular throughout continental Europe. Served in tubs and individually packaged triangles in cardboard wheels, it has been imitated in the United States by Laughing Cow, a French branded cheese called La Vache Qui Rit. It is not imported to the US.
Maredsous beer
The abbey also licenses its name to Brouwerij Duvel MoortgatBrouwerij Duvel Moortgat
Duvel Moortgat Brewery is a Flemish family-controlled brewery founded in 1871. Its strong golden pale ale, Duvel, is the company's best known product which is exported to more than 40 countries...
, the makers of Maredsous beer.