Maagdendale Abbey

The Abbey of Maagdendale is a Cistercian abbey situated on the Ham in the town of Oudenaarde.

History
The nuns of Maagdendale had founded a monastery in Vloesberg in the 12th century. The unsafe situation meant that the abbess asked Arnulf IV, baron of Pamele, to be allowed to transfer the monastery to Oudenaarde. In 1233 the monastic community acquired the land on the eastern bank of the Scheldt on the Ham to build a new abbey.
In 1408 the abbey was ravaged by floods. During the early years of the Dutch Revolt, the abbey was raided. The beggars stole all the gold and silverware and destroyed much of the interior of the church.
In 1684 there was significant destruction by fire as a result of shelling by the French. The reconstruction lasted until the middle of the 18th century.
The convent of Maagdendale was dissolved by the law of 15 Fructidor, year IV of the French Republic (September 1796) and subsequently sold as a national property.
From 1826 the monastery came into the hands of the Belgian State and from 1830 to 1966 it was used as a military barracks. The presence of these barracks ensured trading activities and a flourishing nightlife with numerous cafes in the Baarstraat district.
In the course of the 19th century, various service buildings, including single-storey dwellings attached to the gatehouse (1830s), were erected as well as a riding stable (which has since been demolished) on the site of the current Administrative Center (1841).
present state
The complex was evacuated from 1966. The city of Oudenaarde acquired the monument in exchange for the expropriated castle of Burgundy. The restored abbess house now serves as the home of the Royal Academy of Art and the City Archives.

The abbey church still on the site dates back to the 13th century.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdij_van_Maagdendale

In 1233, Arnulf IV, Baron of Pamele, donated land on the eastern bank of the Scheldt in Ham (Pamele) to the abbey of Maagdendale for the construction of a new Cistercian abbey. The abbey buildings and church were constructed during the 13th century. In 1791, the abbey was dissolved and in 1826 the buildings were used as army barracks. Of the former abbey, only a part of the church, the abbess' house with guest quarters and gatehouse have been preserved.

Built in 1233 by the Cistercians, the Abbey of Maagdendale was for centuries a
of the most important women's abbeys in Flanders.
The 13th-century abbey church immediately catches the eye, but the red-washed facade of the abbess house from 1663 is also beautiful to see. Today the abbey houses the art academy and the city archive.

Source: oudenaarde.be