The Abbey of Aulne is nestled in a steep valley on the right bank of the Sambre, in a place called "Vallée de la Paix". According to legend, the Abbey of Aulne was founded in 637 by Saint Landelin. The rule of Saint-Benoit was established there by Saint Ursmer, abbot of Lobbes, on whom Aulne depends. In 889, Aulne passed into the domain of the bishop. In 1147, She became a Cistercian with the arrival of monks from Clairvaux. The Cistercians settled there in a lasting way and the donation of the abbey to this order was confirmed by a charter from the Prince-Bishop of Liège, Henri II de Leyen in 1158. The abbey church was built in the 13th century by two Successive abbots: Gilles de Beaumont (1214-1224) then by Baudouin de Châtelet (1224-1247). In 1507, the monks had to take refuge in Thuin following the attack by French troops. The choir of the abbey will be damaged but it will be rebuilt ten years later by Father Gérard Bosman. In the 18th century, a large part of the abbey buildings were to be rebuilt by Abbot Barthélémy Louant (1728-1753). Then, Father Maur Mélotte (1753-1763) will modernize the church while Father Joseph Scrippe (1765-1785) will give the abbey its current appearance. During the French revolution, the abbey was looted by French soldiers and by the local population. The abbey complex will be burnt down and the monks will go into exile. The last abbot, Dom Norbert Herset, founded by his will the hospice which bears his name. His will was validated by Napoleon in 1806.