Dendermonde Abbey

Dendermonde Abbey was founded in1837 is a Benedictine monastery in Dendermonde. The abbey was established to the site of a former Capuchin house, founded 1596 and suppressed in 1797. The church attached to the buildings had been reopened as a public chapel in 1815. A royal order of 1842 reserved the abbey church for public use. By 1846 there were twelve monks in the community, and in 1850 the monastery was incorporated into the Cassinese Congregation.

In 1890–1910, Dendermonde Abbey became a centre of the Liturgical Movement in Belgium. The abbey church was demolished to be replaced by a larger structure in 1901-1902. The new church was consecrated in 1902.

Most of the original conventual buildings in Dendermonde were destroyed by fire in 1914, but the church remained standing. Rebuilding commenced in 1919 and was completed in 1924, in Flemish Neo-Renaissance style. In 1939 the abbey church became a basilica.

Address
Vlasmarkt 23, Dendermonde, Belgium

Established
1837