Abdij Affligem

Affligem Abbey is a small monastic community located in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, about 20 km from Brussels, the capital of Europe. During its long history of almost 1,000 years, the abbey has experienced periods of prosperity and peaks of spiritual life, but also times of turmoil and war. Today, the calm and silence of nature prevail there, providing favorable conditions for a life of prayer. In the midst of our contemporary world, the monks strive to offer visitors and guests traditional Benedictine spirituality.

The Affligem Abbey Through the Centuries: 1062: Six warriors, converted by a missionary, settle in Affligem, and the young community adopts the Rule of Saint Benedict. 12th Century: Foundations of monasteries in Bornem (1120), Sint-Andries Brugge (1100), Vorst near Brussels (1105), Maria-Laach in Germany (ca. 1112), Vlierbeek near Leuven (1125), and Groot-Bijgaarden (1133), with Saint Wivine as the first abbess. 1149: Bernard of Clairvaux visits the abbey and praises the good observance of the monks. According to a later legend, the statue of the Virgin Mary answered St. Bernard when he saluted her. 14th Century: The abbey was destroyed twice during the wars between Brabant and Flanders. 1426: Foundation of the Catholic University of Leuven through the actions of Abbot t' Serjacobs. 16th Century: The archbishops of Mechelen are now also abbots of Affligem. Later, the troops of William of Orange destroy the abbey. 1582: Three monks die as martyrs. 1605: Return of the monks and the start of the restoration of the abbey. 1796: French revolutionaries drive the monks from their abbey. 19th Century: Superior Dom Veremundus D'haens again accepts novices in an empty monastery in Dendermonde. On June 18th, 1870, ten monks return to Affligem. 20th Century: A new period of growth follows with the founding of Merkelbeek Abbey (1892) in Dutch Limburg, from where the communities in Germany at Kornelimünster (1906), Siegburg (1914), and Ilbenstadt (1923) were re-established, though the latter was transferred to Vaals in 1923. In 1910, a mission was established in Northern Transvaal (South Africa). Affligem also took an active part in the liturgical movement through the publication of the Dutch Missal (1915) and the Dutch Journal of Liturgy (1919). In recent decades, the former farm and dairy buildings have been converted into a Cultural Centre (1967), the St. Benedict Youth Centre (1969), the Archaeological Museum (1981), and, more recently (2015), a museum dedicated to the abbey since the community’s return in 1870. In 2019, the monks renovated their guesthouse to offer hospitality to a small number of guests.