Welcome !

The community of Benedictine monks of Maredsous is happy to welcome you to this Basilica of Saint Benedict, a place of prayer and pilgrimage since 1888.

Presentation

The abbey church of Maredsous, built from 1877 until 1887, is in the primary Gothic style. Like the other buildings of the abbey, it is one of the most important examples of this style in Belgium. Its architect, Baron Jean-Baptiste Béthune († 1894), a pioneer of Gothic revival in our regions, designed it according to the model of the monastic churches of the 13th century, in the style of the abbeys of Aulne and Villers-la- Town. By a brief of October 12, 1926, Pope Pius XI erected it as a Basilica. It was then fitted out and profoundly transformed in 1956-1957 by the architect Roger Bastin, from Namur, to respond more adequately to the requirements of the liturgy promoted at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
Rigorously oriented, the church consists of a long central nave of 75 m which ends in a flat apse. It is flanked by aisles intersected by a 28 m wide transept. Along the aisles are arranged side chapels. As it is a monastic church, one will not be surprised by the importance of the choir where the stalls of the monks are arranged, and where, several times a day, we sing the Office.