Abbaye de Florival, Cistercian monastery in Grez-Doiceau, Belgium.
Florival Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Grez-Doiceau with several buildings arranged around a central courtyard. The complex displays typical medieval monastic design with stone walls and an orderly layout suited to religious community life.
The monastery was founded between 1214 and 1218 and initially housed Benedictine nuns before it became a Cistercian community. Conflict in the 16th century forced the religious community into exile for several decades.
Women from the region came here to study and pray, while the community also managed farmland and followed religious daily routines. The buildings still show signs of this dual role between learning and working the land.
The former abbey now houses the Federal Training Center for Emergency Services and sits on a street named after the monastery. Check ahead about visits or tours, since the grounds serve an institutional purpose today.
The monastery was founded by Bartholomaeus Lanio, a lesser-known figure in Belgian monastery history. This founding personality appears in local records but rarely in broader historical accounts.
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