Already in 1132, the Cistercian abbey Orval was founded. The abbey came to fabulous wealth until it was looted and burnt down during the First Coalition War in 1793. The monks left the ruin. Even today, you can visit the romantic ruins next to the new building of the monastery. In the "Communs Abraham", the only surviving building you can visit an extensive exhibition on the history of the monastery and the brewery art.
The origins of the foundation of an abbey in Orval date back to 1070 when Benedictine monks from Calabria settled on land offered by the Count of Chiny Arnoul I. …