Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The abbey of Belval originated in 1893 when the diocesan priest Hippolyte Trannoy bought the 18th-century castle of Troisvaux, accompanied by his farm and adjacent lands. Its objective: to found there a Cistercian Trappistine monastery under the patronage of Saint Benedict Labre. From that date on, nuns from Laval Abbey joined the site to form a community dedicated to prayer and work, launching a cheese production that will lastingly mark the history of the place.

Between 1900 and 1910, the sisters built the first essential buildings—church, dormitory and working quarters—but a fire ravaged the chapel and part of the infrastructure on 10 April 1909. Despite this obstacle, the community persisted: in 1930, in the face of the influx of vocations, it began the construction of a monastery capable of welcoming 80 sisters. The works, interrupted by the Second World War, ended in 1954, the year of the monastery's official consecration.

The abbey was a major turning point in the early 2010s. In November 2011, the sisters organized a brocante to sell the furniture, announcing their departure. The last nuns left Belval in June 2012, joining the Abbey of Igny. To preserve the heritage of the site, the association Belval's friends were created on 3 August 2011, taking over economic activities, including the production of the Trappiste de Belval cheese via a SAS founded on 18 May 2012.

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