Popularly known as the Abbey of Binderen, this abbey was founded in the years 1237-1246 by Mary of Leuven, daughter of Duke Hendrik I of Brabant and widow of Emperor Otto IV and Count William I of Holland. The chapel is freely accessible to everyone.
According to a legend, the Mary devotion in Binderen is linked to the monastery foundation. According to this legend, Maria van Leuven lost her company during a hunting trip and ended up in a swamp. As she sank into the wet peat she cried, 'O God, have mercy on me, deliver me from this need. O God I tie in! ' When no one seemed to hear her, she promised to build a monastery on this site "for pure virgins of noble lineage" if she were to be saved. Suddenly the earth became solid again and she could continue with her page.
The swampy ground soon proved unsuitable for the construction of a monastery. Mary therefore decided to ask the Virgin Mary what the best place was. One evening, praying to Mary, she looked down from the window of her castle onto a high field by the River Aa, which was almost completely enclosed by the river. Suddenly she saw at that place 24 Cistercian nuns in white habit who walked slowly around the height with six ladies.
For example, Mary herself had indicated the place where the monastery was to be built. When it was finished, Maria named it, after her fearful adventure, Binder-in, Binderen.
Source: vvv.nl