Villers-la-Ville, BE

Villers Abbey

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.

About this building

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments

Visitors information

  • Bus stop within 100m
  • Parking within 250m

Other nearby buildings

Wikimedia Commons/Jmh2o

Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude

The collegiate church of Saint Gertrude, built between 992 and 1046, is one of the oldest and largest surviving Romanesque churches. Five successive churches, built between the 7th and 10th centuries, preceded the Romanesque church. The present church was consecrated in the presence of Emperor Henry III (1046-1056). Heavily modified over the centuries, the church took on its present pseudo-Romanesque appearance thanks to a restoration carried out by Simon Brigode after the Second World War.

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