Church Of Saint Francis of Assisi, Louvain-la-Neuve

The parish of Notre-Dame d'Espérance is a Catholic religious building founded by Father Raymond Thysman.

Villers Abbey was founded in 1146 by Bernard de Clairvaux and was one of the first "daughters" of the Abbey of Clairvaux. After a period of decline from the 14th to the 17th century, the abbey experienced a second golden age in the 18th century when some of its buildings were refurbished in the neoclassical style (facades of the church and the convent building). Sacked by the French Revolution and then confiscated by it as national property, its monks were then expelled and its estate sold in lots.

There is not much information about the origins of the church. It may have been a chapel of a castle during the 10th or 11th century. In 1228, the church is mentioned for the first time. The nave and the tower are the only two original parts of the Romanesque church from before 1228. In 1263, some Gothic parts were added to the building. The choir was renovated in 1747. Afterwards more repairs and maintenance works were done. In 1758, the church was damaged due to a fire. During the 19th century, many renovation works were done. In 1913 a neo-Gothic sacristy was built and the baptismal font and organ were renewed. Not long after 1946, damage from the second World War was restored. The last thorough renovation dates from 1990 until 2002.