Top 10 Monasteries in Belgium
No country links monasticism and brewing as famously as Belgium. Of the small number of monasteries worldwide authorised to label their beer "Authentic Trappist Product," more than half are Belgian. But the country's abbeys are far more than breweries: they are heirs to a monastic tradition reaching back to the early medieval Benedictines, devastated by the French Revolution, and revived in the nineteenth century by communities returning from exile. These ten span the great Trappist houses, ancient Benedictine foundations, and the cheese and beer that have made Belgian monastic products a byword for quality.
1. Orval Abbey, Luxembourg Province
Set among the forests of the Gaume in southern Belgium, Orval is one of the most beautiful abbey complexes in the country. A Cistercian house founded in 1132, it was destroyed in the Revolution and rebuilt in the twentieth century in a striking modern idiom. The ruins of the medieval abbey stand beside the new church. Orval is one of the six Belgian Trappist breweries and the only one producing a single distinctive amber ale, alongside a celebrated cheese.
2. Westvleteren (St. Sixtus Abbey), West Flanders
The Abbey of Saint Sixtus near Westvleteren brews what is often called the best beer in the world. The monks deliberately limit production and sell only at the abbey gate by advance appointment, refusing to expand for profit. Founded in 1831, the small Trappist community guards its contemplative life jealously; the beer funds the monastery and is famously hard to obtain.
3. Chimay (Scourmont Abbey), Hainaut
Notre-Dame de Scourmont, founded in 1850 near the French border, produces the Chimay beers and Chimay cheeses that are among the most widely exported Trappist products in the world. The Trappist community combines a full liturgical life with a large brewing and dairy operation, and the abbey welcomes visitors to its information centre and garden.
4. Rochefort (St. Remy Abbey), Namur Province
Saint-Remy near Rochefort has brewed beer since the seventeenth century. The Trappist community produces the dark, strong Rochefort ales prized by connoisseurs worldwide. The abbey itself remains enclosed and is not generally open to tourists, preserving the contemplative seclusion that the brewing is meant to support rather than overshadow.
5. Westmalle Abbey, Antwerp Province
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Westmalle, founded in 1794, is credited with creating the "Tripel" style of strong pale ale that has been imitated worldwide. One of the largest Trappist breweries, it funds a community that also produces cheese. The abbey grounds are partly accessible, and a café across the road serves the beers with the abbey's own cheese.
6. Maredsous Abbey, Namur Province
Founded in 1872 by Benedictines from Beuron, Maredsous is a vast neo-Gothic complex famous for its beers and cheese, though — being Benedictine rather than Cistercian — its beer is licensed and brewed commercially rather than carrying the Trappist label. The abbey runs a school, a visitor centre, and a much-visited brasserie overlooking the Molignée valley.
7. Affligem Abbey, Flemish Brabant
Founded in 1074, Affligem is one of the oldest Benedictine abbeys in the historic Duchy of Brabant. Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, it gives its name to a widely sold abbey beer brewed under licence. The community maintains a contemplative life and welcomes guests, while the brand keeps the abbey's name known far beyond Belgium.
8. Averbode Abbey, Flemish Brabant
A Premonstratensian (Norbertine) abbey founded around 1134, Averbode sits amid heath and pine forest. Its Baroque church, rebuilt after a fire, and its publishing house are well known in Flanders. The abbey lends its name to a popular abbey beer and welcomes visitors to its grounds, shop, and tea room.
9. Tongerlo Abbey, Antwerp Province
Another great Norbertine house, Tongerlo was founded around 1130. Its museum holds a celebrated sixteenth-century copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, made by his studio and invaluable for its preservation of details lost in the original. The community remains active, and the abbey produces its own beer and dairy products.
10. Saint-Hubert area and the abbeys of the Ardennes
The town of Saint-Hubert grew around a Benedictine abbey founded in the seventh century, dedicated to the patron saint of hunters whose relics were brought here. Though the monastic community is long gone, the great Baroque basilica survives as a reminder of the dense network of early medieval abbeys that once dotted the Ardennes, several of which gave their names to towns and beers.
Planning Your Visit
Belgium's monasteries are compact and easily linked by car or rail: the Trappist breweries form a loose ring from West Flanders (Westvleteren) through Hainaut (Chimay) to the Ardennes (Orval, Rochefort). Many abbeys keep their enclosure strictly private, so plan around visitor centres, brasseries, and shops rather than expecting access to the cloister. Use the map to plot a Trappist tasting route and combine the breweries with the Benedictine and Norbertine houses of Flanders.