Maredsous - Maredsous

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Maredsous is a municipality in the province Namur in Wallonia

Maredsous is a hamlet in the Belgian province of Namur and is located between Mons and Dinant, in the valley of the Molignée. Maredsous belongs to Denée, a borough of the municipality of Anhée.

In 1872, monks from Beuron founded an abbey there on a ridge, built in neo-Gothic style to a design by architect Jean Bethune. It consists of a large monastery church - in one of the two towers hangs the third largest bell in Belgium (after Mechelen and Tournai) - and a number of buildings around a square courtyard. The church is open to the public. There is also a guest house and a reception building with shops, museum space and restaurant.

There is also a secondary school (boarding and external) for boys and girls. The school, called Collège Saint Benoît, was founded in 1881.

The library of the abbey, started since its foundation, now houses approximately 400,000 books and can be consulted on request.

Since 1884, the abbey has published the Revue Bénédictine, a scientific journal devoted to ecclesiastical history and literature.

The abbey also houses the natural science collections of Dom Grégoire Fournier (1863-1931). It concerns rich collections in the fields of geology, mineralogy, biology, archaeology and especially paleontology. The Center Grégoire Fournier is an important science museum, open to visitors.

The area surrounding Maredsous is a popular tourist destination. The extensive forests provide opportunities for walking, there are many restaurants and camping sites in the area and there is a "railbike" on the former railway through the valley that is in operation summer and winter. In the Valley of the Molignée are also the ruins of the castle of the same name.

Local specialties that are also sold elsewhere are an abbey cheese and an abbey beer. The cheese contains the name "Maredsous" only as a brand name.