Heritage Tour Finale in Paris

We traveled from Bayeux to Paris for our last adventures in Europe. We took a bus tour of some of the major monuments on Saturday morning, with a stop to see the extensive stained-glass window collection at Sainte-Chapelle. Please excuse the reflections in some of the photos of the city, as they had to be taken through the bus window. Some SNC alums happened to be in Paris at the same time, so it was fun to have them join us on this portion of our tour. We then had some free time to explore Paris prior to our farewell dinner cruise on the Seine River. It was an evening filled with conversation and laughter, and the perfect way to end our trip. Thank you for following along on our journey!

  • We visited the Bayeux Tapestry before heading to Paris, but cameras weren’t allowed. This is a replica of a small portion of the actual tapestry, available for purchase in the gift shop.
  • L’arc de Triomphe
  • The Louvre
  • It was sad to see the current state of Notre Dame.
  • Enjoying each other’s company as we waited to get into Sainte-Chapelle.
  • Another amazing tour guide.
  • Each section illustrates scenes from the Bible, read from bottom to top.
  • Farewell dinner cruise on the Seine River.

Mondaye Abbey near Bayeux, France – Day 9

Many hours were spent on the bus today as we headed to Normandy, with a glamorous service station lunch break (it actually was pretty delicious). After a quick check-in at the hotel, we drove to Mondaye Abbey. Founded in 1210, it’s the only Norbertine Abbey still active in Normandy. In the 1500s, the abbey burned, its treasures were dispersed, and the abbot was killed. Total reconstruction of the abbey was undertaken in the 1700s, but was never finished, as shown below. During the French Revolution, 17 Norbertines from Mondaye were expelled or imprisoned and all 92 Norbertine abbeys in France were closed. In 1859, the bishop of Bayeux gave Mondaye Abbey to Norbertines from Grimbergen Abbey in Belgium, and once again community life flourished at Mondaye, but only for a short time. The Norbertines were forced from the abbey a few times between 1880 and 1921. The Allied landings during WWII subjected the abbey to many days of bombing, and although the buildings have been repaired, you can still see evidence of the bombings on the abbey walls. Today, all of the abbey is their property except the church, which is the property of the village. They run a busy guest center on-site – we weren’t able to stay here because all the rooms were booked. Of the approximately 47 members of this Norbertine community, 27 live here at the abbey.

  • This is what remains of the original church.
  • Work on the abbey stopped in 1763 and was never completed.
  • Once a bake house for the poor, this is now a community garden.
  • Guest rooms.
  • Gift shop and guest rooms.
  • The remains of the last abbot general of the Order, Jean-Baptiste L’Ecuy, can be found beneath this stone.
  • The Patron Saint Martin is depicted in this altar painting.
  • Fr. Maximilien was our tour guide – he also runs the guest quarters.
  • Their library has 35,000 books. When they were expelled from the abbey, they took the books with them.
  • A secret crosier drawer.
  • Personal napkin rings.
  • A painting in the chapter room illustrating the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
  • The Norbertines here dine alone in silence, so we ate in another dining room, clean-up duty included.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Laon, France – Day 8

The medieval area of Laon was built on the top of a flat plateau. It has the largest number of historical buildings per square meter in France. Notre Dame is the third cathedral to be built on this site. Because it was safe high up on the plateau, many people wanted to live here, and the city had a lot of money. When the architecture of the previous cathedral went out of style, they simply tore it down and built this one in the early Gothic style around 1150. In 1854, the nave started to detach from the facade, so they had to detach all the stones, fill in support, and then reattach each stone. This is the only church in the region that wasn’t damaged by bombs in the World Wars. They’re hard to see in the photos, but there are 16 life-size oxen sculptures at the top of the towers, most likely because oxen were used to carry stone up the hill.

  • The old gate to the city.
  • Safely crossing the street.
  • Our cathedral tour guide.
  • This is the Liberal Arts window. The school of Laon was famous, and attracted students from all over, four of whom became Popes. Each flower of the window represents an area of study.

The rose windows are possible because the ends of the church are flat. While the church wasn’t damaged in the wars, there was at one point an explosion that blew out the windows, and the stained glass windows in the photos above were repaired. The rest of the windows along the walls were replaced with lighter stained glass, which is why the church is so bright inside. A unique feature of this cathedral is its four levels of elevation. Flying buttresses were mastered later, which allowed cathedrals built in that style to achieve great height with only three levels of elevation.

  • A little shopping …
  • … and lunch …
  • … and then an afternoon free to relax.

Prémontré, France – Day 7

Today we left Belgium, and spent the morning driving to our hotel in Chamouille, France, just outside Laon. We enjoyed lunch at the hotel’s restaurant overlooking a lake, and then boarded the bus bound for Prémontré. Norbertine scholar Martine Plouvier was our guide, with Rose Condette translating. Norbert was an itinerant preacher, but the bishop said he needed to settle in a location. Prémontré had been owned by the Benedictines, but they deserted the place, and Norbert chose that site. The altar of the first chapel Norbert had constructed using masons from France and Cologne cracked in half, so everything was torn down and a new chapel was built and dedicated around Christmas. Prémontré was a large abbey with many buildings, but much of it was destroyed during the French Revolution. The wall around the property had four entrances, to welcome people from all directions of the world. The buildings that remain intact are from the 17th and 18th centuries, although many were again damaged in WWI and had to be restored. Most of the property is now a psychiatric hospital.

  • Martine has written many books on the Norbertines.
  • We were pleasantly surprised to find a group from Mondaye also at the site.
  • This is what’s left of the original St. John the Baptist Chapel. Work will be done later this year to shore up parts of the wall for the 900th anniversary of the order. There will also be a table with historical information on the order inside one of the buildings.
  • There’s a chapel inside this building, as well as the staircase seen in the photo at the top. The Abbot, who was also the Abbot General at the time, lived in the building in the photo above, far right.
  • Historic photos of the chapel and building.
  • The chapel today.
  • The staircase is built so all the pressure is absorbed by the outer wall, no support columns needed.
  • Our new friend Joel.

Leffe Abbey in Dinant, Belgium – Day 6

Today we had power and slightly cooler temps, so all is good again! We are staying just outside Dinant, so it was back on the bus to Leffe for mass. Founded in 1154, it flourished for centuries. The 15th century, however, brought plague, flood and fire. In 1844 the last member of the Leffe Norbertine community died and everything appeared to be finished. However, the Norbertines of Frigolet were expecting to be expelled from their abbey, so in 1902 those members bought Leffe. During World War I, the abbey was turned into a prison for 1800 women. The Norbertine community eventually was able to return to the abbey. In 1929 a fire destroyed part of the abbey of Tongerlo, leaving those Norbertines homeless. They took shelter at Leffe, and eventually Leffe was officially transferred to Tongerlo. In WWII, Leffe was able to hide 40 Jewish children from the Germans. Today, they have 13 members, and are in need of vocations.

  • After mass, Abbot Emeritus Bruno gave us a tour.
  • The choir director, from Canada, kindly sang some hymns in English.
  • It’s rumored that relics from Norbertine Saints Frederic and Siard reside here.
  • The church used to be a barn.
  • Another depiction of Norbert and the spider.
  • There’s a portrait of the Abbot who started the brewery in this room.
  • Lunch with the Norbertines.
  • The exterior of Leffe.
  • We explored Dinant in the afternoon.

Park and Grimbergen Abbeys in Belgium – Day 5

When we arrived at the hotel yesterday, we learned there was a regional power outage, so to all our loyal followers, you will see two posts today! We started our day at Park Abbey. Four Norbertines from Laon founded it in 1129. Park Abbey is known for its 17th century stained-glass windows depicting the life of Norbert, 41 in all. After the French Revolution, the Norbertines had to sell the windows to survive. They are in the process of purchasing them back from private collections and museums around the world. So far, 21 of them have been returned to Park. They are currently being studied and restored, but it was so exciting to be able to see five of them. As you can see in the photos, the abbey is currently undergoing major renovations, so it would be great to go back in four or five years to see it in its completed state.

  • A beautiful walk to the abbey.
  • The abbey entrance.
  • This building was once a stable.
  • Prior Jozef welcomed us and was our tour guide.
  • The church was rebuilt in 1729.
  • The acoustics are amazing.
  • This is across from where the Abbots sit, as a reminder that they are human and all will die.
  • Former Abbots are buried beneath this hatch in the floor.
  • The wood carvings and paintings in the sacristy were exquisite.
  • Five of the famous stained-glass windows.
  • Norbertine books in their archive.
  • A detail of the last supper on the ceiling.
  • These sculptures are wooden carvings coated with a special type of chalk or plaster.

We hopped back on the bus and headed to Grimbergen for lunch at their restaurant and a tour. Founded in 1126, it’s best known in the U.S. for its beer, which is currently brewed by Carlsberg group. They recently found their original Norbertine recipe for beer, and are starting a microbrewery. The first beer should be ready in 2020. In addition to the restaurant, they have a guest house and retreat center on site. The church was spared during the French Revolution, but the Norbertines had to flee. In 1831 they resumed communal living, and in 1951 they founded a priory in Cape Town, South Africa. They currently have 17 members, 11 of whom live at Grimbergen.

  • This facade was meant to be a wall. The front of the church was never finished.
  • This section is the old parish house.
  • We ate here at their acclaimed restaurant, the Fenikshof. They also have the first public observatory, which you can see above the restaurant.
  • Abbot Erik de Sutter gave us our tour.
  • This massive church was elevated to basilica status.
  • The wood in the sacristy is local, and the fresco on the ceiling depicts the life of Norbert.
  • Behind these doors they discovered a tunnel with stairs to the roof. This stone was found in pieces, but the believe it belonged to the abbot from 1244.
  • The Neo-Roman style columns and ceilings in some sections are fake, as shown in this photo.
  • The story of Norbert and the spider.
  • The phoenix.
  • This room is lined with paintings of the Abbots before the French Revolution.

Postel Abbey in Mol, Belgium – Day 4

The bus rides have been fairly quiet, but I think we’re starting to win the jet lag battle. We visited beautiful Postel Abbey for a tour, mass and lunch today. Fr. Benedict greeted us, and we chatted over tea and coffee. Postel generates income through a 28-room guesthouse, and they make and sell their own cheese and products made from their herb garden. They have 23 members, 16 of whom live here. The others live in parishes or elder care facilities. Like other Norbertine abbeys we’ve visited, their members are elderly, and they struggle with vocations. In the 1950s they had approximately 100 members – some were doing mission work in the Congo. In 1970 they started a priory there with more than 50 members that is now an independent canonry.

  • The deer are “just for decoration.”
  • The tower has 51 bells.
  • We were later joined by Abbot Frederic, who gave us a tour of the grounds.
  • In Latin above the doors: Here the dead are living and the mute speak. This section of the building was added in 1960 and houses the library.
  • Floreffe abbey founded Postel.
  • Postel’s coat of arms.
  • These windows depict Norbertine vows.
  • The aromatic herb garden.
  • The stained glass windows in church depict the life of Norbert.
  • Items for sale in the shop.
  • Postel used to make beer, but sold that operation.

St. Catherine’s Monastery in Oosterhout – Day 3

It’s a beautiful walk down a tree-lined lane to St. Catherine’s Monastery. Almost 700 years ago, seven daughters were given permission to join the Order of Prémontré. The location of the monastery changed several times throughout the centuries, until 1647 when they moved to their present location in Oosterhout. In 1954, the sisters began restoring and preserving antique books to generate income. The economic downfall in 2008 seriously affected the income from their book work. In 2012, the sisters declared they would stay at the monastery, and they would stay there together, but they needed a new source of income. They decided to start a vineyard on the property, and after developing a business plan, the community supported them. All the sisters voted on decisions throughout the process, in order to stay true to who they are as Norbertine sisters.

  • We were welcomed by Sister Maria Magdalena.

In addition to the vineyard, the sisters also started a guesthouse. There are 14 rooms that can be used for retreats and other events.

  • Sister Norberta joyfully led our tour of the property. After lunch we attended service in this chapel.

The vineyard was planted in 2015, and last year was their first harvest. They grow six different varietals, and bottled 11,000 bottles of white wine their first year. On Saturday they release this year’s wine, and have grown to 55,000 bottles.

  • The roses at the ends of the rows signal when something is wrong with the grape vines.
  • In addition to the vineyard, they tend beautiful gardens.
There are tasting areas and a store on-site.
  • The bag design was inspired by the sisters’ habits.
  • They saved us some of last year’s wine to sample.

Berne Abbey – Day 2

After breakfast at the hotel, we rode the bus to Berne Abbey, founded shortly after Norbert’s death in 1134. This current location has been home to the Norbertines since 1857. In the late 1800s, they had a large number of vocations, which allowed them to send three Norbertines, including Bernard Pennings, to Wisconsin in 1893. Berne would send 26 Norbertines in all, which led to the purchase of St. Joseph Parish and the founding of the college.

  • We were met by Fr. Peter, who gave us an introduction to the abbey.
  • The exterior had many interesting details.
  • We had coffee and tea, along with an interesting conversation about the current state of Catholicism in the Netherlands.
  • Past Abbots’ stones in the courtyard.
  • We attended mass with the Norbertines.
  • Carved wooden statue of St. Augustine.
  • After mass and lunch, Fr. Joost gave us a tour.
  • Detail of a large painting of all the coats of arms. The De Pere Abbey also has this painting.
  • Every day this clock needs to be wound. The two bullets on the wall start near the ceiling and descend to the floor.
  • The courtyard outside the Norbertine’s rooms. In the 1950s and 1960s, they had 200 members. They currently have 25, including two young Polish novices.
  • The is a bookstore on-site that, of course, sells Berne Abbey beer.
  • Variety packs available for purchase.
  • Of course we had to taste test!
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