Chevetogne Abbey, Benedictine monastery in Ciney, Belgium
Chevetogne Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Ciney that houses two distinct monastic communities side by side. The complex contains two separate churches: a Latin one and an Eastern church adorned with Byzantine frescoes painted in 1957.
Dom Lambert Beauduin, a Belgian Benedictine, founded the abbey in 1925 following Pope Pius XI's vision to build bridges between Catholic and Eastern Churches. This dual monastic experiment has remained the defining feature of the monastery ever since.
Two separate monastic communities live side by side within these walls, embodying the search for unity between Eastern and Western Christian traditions through their daily coexistence. This parallel monastic life shapes how visitors experience the spiritual life of the abbey today.
Visitors are welcome to attend services from both communities throughout the day and experience the different liturgical traditions unfold. It helps to check the schedule of services beforehand to catch the celebrations that interest you most.
The monastery holds a substantial library of around 100,000 volumes and the monks publish a scholarly journal called Irenikon dedicated to Christian unity. This publication has been a significant voice in theological dialogue between traditions for many decades.
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