Orval - Double Edition

We have every intention of blogging about all the stuff we do right after we do it, but you know what they say about good intentions... Frequently we get behind, which usually leaves me overwhelmed and annoyed. However occasionally it works in my favor, such as when I can combine two events to make a better post than would have occurred by blogging about either one alone. Case in point: our visits to the Orval Trappist Brewery the last two Septembers.

The Val d'Or (Valley of Gold), and hence the name Orval, is a beautiful, hilly countryside of green, green fields and peacefully grazing sheep. Located just a few kilometers from the French border in southern Belgium, the Abbaye d'Orval holdings once included land that is now in France, the borders having changed numerous times since 1070 when the first monks arrived in the valley.


Village and countryside not far from Orval


The Orval Abbey as seen from the forest


Last year, Troy was ready to join the sheep in the pasture


This is the same field, but this year's visit was much sunnier

Since the 11th century, Orval has had quite the tumultuous history, with periods of boom and bust, and a particularly rough patch during the French Revolution when much of the abbey was pillaged and wrecked. However, in 1926 a private family who had acquired the lands gave them back to the Cistercian Order to reconstitute the abbey. By 1948 the rebuilding was complete, and Orval has been an active monastery ever since.


The Art Deco central chapel was constructed during the rebuilding of the 1930s-40s.

There is a long tradition of beer, bread, and cheese fabrication at monasteries in Belgium, having originally served as nourishment for the monastic communities. Word spread about these great products, and several monasteries created commercial wings to distribute them. Orval has a brasserie (brewery) and fromagerie (cheese-makery) within its campus and uses its profits to support local charities and maintain its site.

A note about the elite "Trappist" moniker. Only beers brewed at a functioning Cistercian abbey, i.e. a monastery where they are still actively monk-ing, are allowed to use the name "Trappist". There are only 7 Trappist breweries in the world, six of which are located in Belgium(!): Achel, Orval, Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. (The other is Koningshoeven in The Netherlands.) In some of the breweries the monks themselves still brew the beer, while in others they hire outside workers. Regardless of the division of labor, the whole point of the monastery is for the monks to monk, so all of these breweries are rarely (if ever) open to the public. BUT once a year for two days only, the Orval brewery makes an exception and opens its doors to the public! The tour is free, but is available by appointment only, on a first-come, first-served basis. Luckily, I have a plannerific hubby who discovers things like this, and thinks to call in May to score spots at the open brewing days in September.

Last year, we went down for the day and briefly met up with some friends after the tour. During our visit, we learned that you could also tour the ruins of the old abbey church and attend a service in the chapel. Unfortunately, we figured this out too late in the day, so we resolved to come back this year and do it all.

The brewery is actually very pretty, and the tour was fascinating both years. The finishes are modern, the equipment is spotless, and there is even stained glass upstairs behind the giant copper holding vats.



Legend has it that the Widow Mathilda accidentally dropped her wedding ring into the stream flowing through the valley. She prayed to God to get it back and toute de suite a trout appeared out of the stream with the ring in his mouth! Thus the fish and the ring are the symbol of Orval and appear throughout the brewery.





Our favorite part both years has been the bottling room. It is this amazingly efficient operation, mesmerizing with its shiny steel, constant motion, and clinking glass. A model of industrial automation at its finest. Check out this sweet short film Troy made -- if you remember that old TV show 'Laverne and Shirley,' it will definitely make you want to sing the theme song:



After the excitement of the bottling room, you pass through packaging, aging, quality monitoring, and distribution. Finally, at tour's end you enter the cantine where you receive your complimentary beer and cheese.



It's good stuff.





After our delightful brewery tour, we entered the inner grounds of the monastery and toured the ruins.


Ancient ruins set against modern buildings built along classical lines.




This gorgeous rose window once held stained glass, an architectural innovation during medieval times

We had just enough time to wander through the grounds and make a quick stop in the museum before heading over to the chapel. The monks observe the ancient order of seven services a day, every day of the week. As long as you are respectful and stay for the entire service, the public is welcome to attend them too (well, perhaps not Vigils at 4am???). The timing of our visit made it perfect to attend the late afternoon Vespers. Being a Protestant, I have only attended Mass a handful of times in my life, so I was both excited to experience something new, but also a little nervous about following all the 'sits and stands'. About 30 monks sang the service in French, which we in the 'audience' could follow via service books. It was very interesting to hear the familiar Bible verses spoken in French, and it was a lovely service.

We enjoyed the whole day (and would highly recommend it for anyone here) and would have been content if the story ended there. Mais non! From there we set off to a little French B&B for dinner, followed by adventures in Northern France and Luxembourg the following day. But, that is another post for another day...Until then Salut (Cheers)!

Orval Photo Album - Click Here