[2] The monks settled on uncultivated lands which had been offered to them by the lord of Ninove which were near the town, on the banks of the river Dender.

The community continued to grow and its financial position soon allowed it to occupy the adjacent parishes.

The original abbey church was dedicated in 1174 and was built in Romano-Gothic style.

[3] The 16th and 17th centuries were difficult times because of the political troubles and the effects of the Eighty Years' War.

All the abbey buildings were reconstructed to the plans of Ghent architects Jan Baptist Simoens and Frans Drieghe, advised by Laurent-Benoît Dewez.