Achel Abbey: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{Infobox monastery

| name = Trappist Abbey of Achel

| image = Achel - Kluis 1 - de ‘Achelse Kluis’.JPG

| caption = Entrance of the Saint Benedictus-Abbey

| order = [[Trappists|Trappist]]

| established = 1871

| disestablished = 2021

| dedication = [[Benedict of Nursia|Saint Benedict]]

| location = {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Hamont-Achel]]<br>{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Heeze-Leende]]

| public_access = No

| other_info = Produces and markets [[Achel Brewery|Achel Beers]].

}}

The '''Trappist Abbey of Achel''' or '''Saint Benedictus-Abbey''' or '''Achelse Kluis''' (which means [[Hermitage (religious retreat)|hermitage]] of Achel), which belongs to the [[Trappists|Cistercians of Strict Observance]], is located in [[Achel]] in the [[Campine]] region of the province of [[Limburg (Belgium)|Limburg]] ([[Flanders]], Belgium). The abbey was famous for its spiritual life and its [[Achel Brewery|brewery]], which was one of only a few [[Trappist beer]] breweries in the world. Life in the abbey was characterised by prayer, reading and manual work, the three basic elements of Trappist life. The monastic community came to an end in January 2021,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The world is one Trappist beer poorer as abbey loses last monk |author=Alan Hope |date=23 January 2021 |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/150901/the-world-is-one-trappist-beer-poorer-as-abbey-loses-last-monk/ |website=[[The Brussels Times]]}}</ref> with the last two monks moving to [[Westmalle Abbey]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brouwactiviteiten in de Achelse Kluis worden verdergezet |url=https://achelsekluis.org/nl/trappist-achel-brouwt-verder |website=achelsekluis.be |access-date=25 January 2021 |archive-date=31 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131161158/https://achelsekluis.org/nl/trappist-achel-brouwt-verder |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===17th to 18th century===

On 30 January 1648, at the end of the [[Eighty Years War]], the [[Peace of Münster|Treaty of Münster]] was signed between Spain and the [[Netherlands]]. The result of the treaty was that the Catholic [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] was not allowed in the [[Dutch Republic]]. Therefore, Catholics from [[Valkenswaard]] and Schaft built a chapel in Achel which was part of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]]. The early roots of the Abbey date back to 1686, when [[Petrus van Eynatten]], a son of the mayor of [[Eindhoven]], founded a community of [[hermit]]s of [[Saint Joseph]]. The community would flourish until 1789 when they were expelled from their convent after the [[French Revolution|French revolutionary]] army invaded the [[Austrian Netherlands]]. The abbey was sold to Jan Diederik van Tuyll van Serooskerken (Utrecht, 6 August 1773 &ndash; Heeze, 9 July 1843).

===19th century===

On 21 March 1846 the [[Trappists]] from [[Westmalle Abbey]] founded a [[priory]] in [[Achel]] (first founded in [[Hoogstraten|Meersel-Dreef]] on 3 May 1838 in a former monastery of the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin]]). The abbey and its 95 hectares of land had been bought by the priest Gast from [[Heeze]] on 9 April 1845 with the support of several beneficiaries. The first beer to be brewed on the site was the "Patersvaatje" in 1852. In 1871, the priory was granted the status of [[abbey]] and beer brewing became a regular activity. By reclaiming [[:wikt:wasteland|wasteland]], the agriculture and cattle-breeding of the abbey prospered. In addition several daughter-houses were founded in [[Echt, Netherlands|Echt]] ([[Lilbosch Abbey]]), [[Diepenveen]], [[Rochefort, Belgium|Rochefort]] ([[Rochefort Abbey]]) and the abbey of Notre Dame de l'Emmanuel in Kasanza in 1958 ([[Belgian Congo]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://users.pandora.be/markvdb/kasanza/ |title=Notre Dame de l'Emmanuel |access-date=4 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409142016/http://users.pandora.be/markvdb/kasanza/ |archive-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===20th century===

At the beginning of World War I (1914) the monks left the abbey. The [[Germany|Germans]] dismantled the brewery in 1917 to salvage approximately 700&nbsp;kg of copper. After World War II a new abbey was built between 1946 and 1952, but only two wings of the planned four were completed. In 1989 the abbey sold most of its land to the Dutch National Forest Administration and the Flemish Government. In 1998 with the support from the trappists from [[Westmalle]] and [[Brasserie de Rochefort|Rochefort]] brewing started again.

== Monks ==

* Dom [[Franciscus Janssens]], Ocist. 76th General Abbot of the Common Observance.

{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==

* [http://www.achelsekluis.org/english/frame_en.htm Achel Abbey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012021918/http://www.achelsekluis.org/english/frame_en.htm |date=12 October 2013 }}

{{Catholic Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands}}

[[Category:Trappist monasteries in the Netherlands]]

[[Category:Trappist monasteries in Belgium]]

[[Category:Christian monasteries in Limburg (Belgium)]]

[[Category:Christian monasteriesinNorth Brabant]]

[[Category:Hamont-Achel]]

[[Category:Heeze-Leende]]