Officially the abbey is called "Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy".
It was founded in 1230 as a women's monastery affiliated with the Order of Cistercians.
Two centuries later, piety and religious discipline had relaxed to such an extent that the sisters were forced to leave the monastery in 1464 and hand it over to the Trappists of the Abbey of Félipré (near Vencimont).
The monks turned out to be better suited to exploit the possibilities of the river that ran through the territory and of the marble quarries (marbre de Saint-Rémy) that were found there.
During the 16th century wars of religion, the abbey was plundered twice.
After their return, from 1595, the monks started brewing beer.
The 17th century brought wars, famine, epidemics and piracy.
In 1650 the abbey was plundered by Lorraine troops. They profaned the church. In 1652 and 1653 the monks had to flee to Marche.
Once peace returned, reconstruction began (1664) and the church was reconsecrated in 1671 under Abbot Philippe Fabry. His coat of arms and motto became those of the abbey: Curvata Resurgo ("I bend but straighten again").
The abbey flourished for a while... until halfway through the 18th century there was a new period of "decadence": poor hygiene, decay, little discipline nor spirituality. Stricter rules of life yielded nothing.
In 1792 the monks applied for secularization, which was granted to them by Pope Pius VI.
Almost a century later, the abbey was transferred to the monks of Achel Abbey, after which Trappist life resumed here.
Under the first prior, Anselme Judong, new buildings were built and what remained of the earlier ones was restored: the portal from the 16th century, the farm buildings from the 17th century and the water mill from the 18th century.
On December 29, 2010, around 6:30 PM, a serious fire broke out in the old part of the abbey. Four buildings suffered major damage, but the brewery, library, chapel and monks' living quarters were not damaged.
Major restoration and renovation works are currently being carried out on large parts of the abbey.
In the meantime, the church remains accessible.
The brewery cannot be visited.
The brewing kettles visible from the courtyard are surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows.
Source: Wikipedia