Château of Val Duchesse, Protected heritage château in Auderghem, Belgium.
Château of Val Duchesse is a large estate with mixed architectural styles spanning extensive grounds situated between Auderghem and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre municipalities. Its buildings combine elements from different periods in an eclectic design.
A Dominican priory for women was founded here in 1262 by Adelaide of Burgundy, Duchess of Brabant, who gave the site its name. The present château was built in 1780 as the prioress's residence; in 1915 Baron Charles Dietrich had the priory rebuilt by architect Albert Roosenboom. Dietrich bequeathed the estate to the Belgian Royal Trust in 1930.
The names Val Duchesse and Hertoginnedal both mean "Valley of the Duchess", after Adelaide of Burgundy, who founded the priory here in 1262. Legend holds that Saint Thomas Aquinas was a guest at Val Duchesse. Adelaide's heart was interred in a mausoleum that has since disappeared.
The site is accessible by public transport and located in a quiet residential area on Brussels' outskirts. Visitors should check access conditions beforehand, as the property is not always open to the general public.
The château's name comes from Duchess Adelaide of Burgundy, who founded a Dominican priory here in 1262; her heart was buried in a mausoleum that has since disappeared. The priory was the first for women in the Low Countries to follow the rule of Saint Dominic.
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