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Origin and history

The Abbey of Crespin, or Crispinium abbey, is a former Benedictine abbey founded around 670 by Saint Landelin, the first abbey under the patronage of Saint Peter. Located in Crespin (North), it was looted and partially destroyed in 882 by the Normans, alongside the abbeys of Aulne and Wallers-en-Fagne, also founded by Saint Landelin. Landelin's relics, preserved on site, were shared in 1614 with the abbey of Aulne at the request of his abbot, Henri de Velpen.

In the 12th century, Abbé Alvise sent the monk Gossuin of Anchin to restore the Benedictine rule, then weakened by dissolute customs. The abbey housed the tombs of Saint Landelin and his disciples Domitian and Adelin. Among his famous religious, Benedictine monk Saint Aybert lived there 25 years before dying there in 1140. Today, only the abbey house (transformed into houses) and protected remains since 1990, such as the entrance gate and five pillars of the church remain.

The current construction dates mainly from the 18th century, when the abbey was remodelled. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1990, it includes the Abbatial Palace, the mill and its ground (location of the old church). A contemporary project is planning to install a beer museum there, reusing this local heritage. Historical sources, such as the works of Anne-Marie Helvetius or Émile Trelcat, have documented his spiritual and cultural role since the Middle Ages.

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