Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey, Cistercian abbey in Seraing, Belgium

Val-Saint-Lambert is an abbey on the right bank of the Meuse River in Seraing that reaches visitors through a monumental 17th-century gateway. The grounds contain both the preserved monastic buildings and industrial structures that grew alongside them over the centuries.

Hugues de Pierrepont, Bishop of Liège, granted land and woods at Champ des Maures to monks from Signy, who settled in 1202; the abbey became a daughter house of Clairvaux through Igny. Abbot Gérard-Joseph de Harlez began rebuilding in 1750 with master mason Jean-Gilles Jacob. Monks were expelled in 1796 and the church demolished; in 1825 five glassmakers bought the buildings and fired the first furnaces in 1826.

The name Val-Saint-Lambert became a byword for luxury crystal after five glassmakers bought the derelict abbey buildings on 22 December 1825 and fired the first furnaces in 1826. The crystal works still occupies the site, and the 17th-century House of Outsiders now holds a crystal museum.

The 18th-century abbey entrance, with the arms of abbot de Harlez and the motto Fortiter et candide, now houses Seraing's tourist information office, a useful first stop. The enclosure once covered 15 hectares, so allow time to walk between the château, the 13th-century vaulted room and the glassworks. The site lies on the right bank of the Meuse, about 13 km south-west of Liège.

The original 13th-century Chapter House still stands and contrasts sharply with modern glass furnaces operating nearby. This juxtaposition shows how the same location has served entirely different purposes across the centuries.