Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Oelenberg, Historic Trappist monastery and collegiate church in Reiningue, France.
Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Oelenberg is a Trappist monastery and former collegiate church set on a hillside near Reiningue, combining Romanesque and Gothic elements in its structures. The complex includes the church, monastic buildings, workshops, and farmland that together form a functioning monastery community.
The monastery was founded in 1046 and underwent several transformations, passing from Augustinian canons to Jesuits before becoming Trappist in 1825. This succession of communities shaped its evolution across nearly a thousand years.
The monastery remains a working community where daily life revolves around prayer and manual labor visible to visitors. The monks maintain their connection to the land through farming and craft production that shapes the character of the place.
The monastery shop sells handcrafted products made by the monks, and visitors should check opening times in advance before planning a visit. The site welcomes guests during certain days and hours that vary seasonally.
The monastery holds a significant manuscript collection containing rare variants of folk tales from the 19th century. These texts reveal early versions of well-known stories and represent an important record of folklore scholarship from that period.
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