Neighboring villages include Flawinne to the north, on the western shore of the Sambre, Salzinnes to the north-east (although usually considered to be part of Namur itself), Wepion to the south-east and Floreffe to the south and east.

The main church, the old abbey, the current tomb of Saint Mutien-Marie and the different schools are found in the old heart of the village, buried in a val dug over time by the Landoir (a brook flowing into the Sambre).

The Sambre's natural flow was rectified to allow for easier navigation and the Landoir has been hidden under roads and houses in its lower part.

[2] In the valleys of the Sambre and the Meuse, in the middle of which Malonne lies, several digging sites have revealed signs of dwelling as soon as the Paleolithic and throughout prehistory.

Legend says an angel visited him in his dreams, and asked him to leave all his goods behind and establish a village between the Meuse and the Landoir.