Maredsous Abbey

By a pontifical letter of Pope Pius XI dated 12 October 1926, the abbey church was awarded the title of minor basilica.

Though various cheeses are products of the abbey's own dairy, Maredsous Beer is no longer brewed there but in the Duvel Moortgat brewery in Flanders, which has been authorised to make and supply it.

The brothers chose a picturesque site on an estate of Henri Desclée's in the Province of Namur, for the erection of a monastery in which to establish the monks of Beuron.

There was a difference of opinion as to whether it should serve more as a place for training poor children as carpenters, blacksmiths, plumbers and cobblers, or whether it should function more as a centre of fine arts and crafts.

It was the latter view that prevailed when the school opened in 1903 under the leadership of Father Pascal Rox, and in due course the production began of neo-gothic works of high quality (vestments, pieces of silver, bindings and so on) destined mostly for the abbey itself.

The school's activities were curtailed by World War I and it was almost closed down in 1919, but it survived by widening its remit to undertaking paid work in a more modern style for outside customers.