Kortenberg Abbey

The abbey of Kortenberg was founded on the 'Curtenberch', a steep hill of approximately 75 metres high, also known as the Eikelenberg, south of the village centre where the villa 'La Chênaie' (1841) of J.P. Cluysenaer is now located. Generally, 1095, the date on which Bishop Gualcherus of Cambrai, in the presence of Godfried I, Duke of Brabant, signed the deed in which the "altar" of the church on the "Curtenberch" was transferred to the local reclusae - a group of pious women who led a hermit's existence there - is considered the date of foundation. This church was dedicated to God, the Holy Virgin and Saint Amandus and would function as a parish church until 1771.Perhaps the dilapidated buildings, the difficult accessibility and the lack of water played a role in the relocation of the religious community, in 1222 or 1229, to the valley of the Aderbeek (or Harebeek) 750 metres further north, near the current village centre. The rule of Saint Benedict was adopted and the first confirmation bull of Pope Gregory VIII of January 1233 indicates that the abbey was installed as such at that time. The further expansion in the course of the 13th century into an important religious, economic and social centre was made possible by additional donations from the Dukes of Brabant and other pious benefactors. The acquisition of noval tithes indicates the development of new areas, while there was already mention of a guesthouse for the care of the poor, the sick and travellers from 1246.Due to its strategic location near the old Leuven-Brussels road and the Waalsebaan, halfway between the ducal residences in Leuven and Brussels, the abbey of Kortenberg was given an important role in politics. On 27 September 1312, the famous Charter of Kortenberg was signed, in which Duke Jan II recognised and guaranteed the rights of the nobility and bourgeoisie. The supervisory Council of Kortenberg would meet there every three weeks until 1375.Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Abbey site of Kortenberg, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/43354

Of the actual monastery buildings that were demolished shortly after the public sale and certainly before 1813, only the abbess' residence dating from around 1779 remains, represented on Nivoy's plan from 1796 as a partly detached and rectangular wing, perpendicular to the square structure of the other monastery wings. According to the cadastral registers and sketches, this abbey wing, which had been converted into a "country estate", was first enlarged in 1845 with a low extension on the right and a detached service wing - possibly a carriage house with horse stable - at the back. Later, the extension with a kitchen perpendicular to the rear facade followed. The sales poster of 14 May 1897 of "the magnificent castle of the abbey called the castle of Cortenbergh" gives a plan of the ground floor and an overview of the layout: "two cellars with provision, vestibule with escalier, two kitchens, laundry, dining room, two salons, cabinet, escalier de service, onze chambres, three rooms for subjects on the mezzanine and two large greniers dont un avec monte charge" - a disposition that has largely been maintained to this day. Postcards from around 1900 show a white-painted and plastered volume flanked by a lower extension with a round-arched door window that has since disappeared. In the context of the transformation into a retreat house, the former abbess' residence was expanded on the south side around 1934, under the impetus of canon Misonne, with a chapel and a knight's hall, alluding to the signing of the charter of Kortenberg that took place there in 1312. With the construction of a second chapel, a connecting gallery and the construction of a terrace, the current configuration was created in the 1960s.Inventory of Immovable Heritage: Abbey site of Kortenberg, id.erfgoed.net/erfgoedobjecten/43354