A Visit to the Orval Abbey

     The intention was for the pastoral staff to have a day away together before Logan takes off on his paternity leave. Sadly, Logan had to cancel at the last minute but Paul, Doug and myself decided to head out anyway. Our destination was the Orval Abbey in Belgium.

The abbey as you approach by car.

The front of the grounds.

The grounds are breathtaking.
What a stunningly beautiful place this is! 

The abbey is a functioning abbey to this day although there are only about 14 monks still living there. The monks are known as the Trappist Cistercian monks. We arrived just in time to join them for their midday prayers. Entering this church was quite amazing.

The front of the church. Such a stunning entry. It is really breathtaking.

It was a very beautiful, short service, all in French but enjoyable none the less. Since it was lunch time, that was next on our agenda!

Quite well-known and liked beer. 

Over the years they have brewed beer and made cheese and that still happens today. Visitors are not allowed in the brewery or fromagerie due to health concerns but a nice exhibit explained how the beer was made.

Good information.

We enjoyed both at lunch. The beer is pretty bitter, a bit to much for my taste and the cheese is much like port salut, creamy and mild.

The cheeses they make.

We returned to the abbey and walked the grounds.

One of the side buildings.

I was astonished by how large the facility is and also how beautiful the ruins are.

I could not get enough of this rose window.

The first monks arrived from Italy in 1070. In 1252 the entire abbey was gutted by fire.

A good look back through the ruins.

In 1793 the French destroyed the abbey as an act of war. Just as recently as 1948 the newer buildings were finished.

This stone table reminded me of Aslan's table in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe of the Chronicles of Narnia.

A much more rich history exists but this at least gives some context.

Love the new and the old together. 

Today anyone can come and use the place as a retreat center.

Today's guest house.

     As we began to tour the grounds I was taken in with the beauty and the story that unfolded beneath these old walls.

The ruins of the old buildings are just fantastic.

The ruins are just lovely and the placards with explanations kept us well informed. Because we've have such incredible weather, I was deeply chagrined to be without a proper jacket as the weather became more typical for late February. Fortunately my husband was willing to give me his sweater as he had brought a proper jacket, so I didn't completely freeze to death! Even so, it was peaceful and restorative to wander the grounds and take in the beauty.
     The place was about an hour from Luxembourg City, about a half hour into Belgium. What fun to take a day and explore a deeply spiritual place.

The sculpture is a rendering of the Good Samaritan.