Onze-Lieve-Vrouweabdij, Benedictine monastery in De Heilige Driehoek, Oosterhout, Netherlands.
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouweabdij is a Benedictine monastery with neo-gothic design features set within protective walls on spacious grounds in the Heilige Driehoek region. The complex includes multiple workshops, living quarters, and a chapel arranged around courtyards and connected by covered passages.
French Benedictine sisters founded the monastery in 1901, initially occupying a former boarding school building on the Vredeoord estate. The community has remained in this location since its establishment and gradually expanded its presence there.
The monastery remains an active working community where nuns restore tapestries, create liturgical vestments, and paint icons as part of their daily life. These workshops are woven into the rhythm of the community and reflect how spiritual practice connects with skilled craftsmanship.
The monastery sits within a protected nature area that also contains two other active monasteries along with gardens and farmland, creating a quiet and secluded setting. Visitors should expect a working community with scheduled prayer times and should respect periods of silence and privacy.
The monastery forms part of Heilige Driehoek, a 250-hectare protected area containing three functioning monasteries nestled within gardens and farmland. This unusual arrangement of multiple religious communities in one location is rare and worth noting.
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