Abbey of Chevetogne

The abbey of Chevetogne is an abbey Bénédictine located at Chevetogne, section of the town of Ciney, in the Province of Namur (Walloon region) in Belgium.

The monastery has the effect of comprising two churches: a church of Latin Rite, dedicated to the Holy Saver, and a church of Byzantine Rite, dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This single monastery desired was placed under the sign of the oecumenism by its founder, Lambert Beauduin, even if the community is only made up catholic monks attached to the Confédération bénédictine.

Situation

The abbey is located at 11 km in the south of the downtown area of Ciney, at 20 km in the east of Dining and at 40 km in south-east on Namur.

History

Buildings

. They acquire the building occupy the places until in 1923. The castle was then rented with private individuals then it was used as refuge with Spanish Jésuite S which had left their country because of the separation of the Church and the State wanted by the Second Republic Spanish.

It is in June 1939 that the community founded by Dom Lambert Beauduin with Amay (Province of Liege) settles there.

At each end of the buildings, currently a church rises: in the south, the Byzantine church, and in north, the Latin church:

the Byzantine church was built of 1955 with 1957. It is built according to the principles of the Byzantine tradition according to which a church wants to offer through its architecture and its interior decoration like a digest of cosmos.
the Latin church was built then, between 1981 and 1988. It is built on a basilical plan (Atrium, nave and sanctuary).
: Its construction is also a symbol of unit of the Christians since the first stone, coming from the Mont Sion in Jerusalem, was posed on November 2nd, 1981 by the archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Communion Anglican, Robert Runcie, and the cardinal Godfried Danneels, Malignant archbishop and primacy Catholique of Belgium. Moreover, the church is decorated of two frescos of Romance inspiration due to the orthodoxe monk Russian iconographe , the Zénon archimandrite.

The monastery lodges a oecumenical library , rich person of approximately: 150000 volumes. It is specialized in the fields of the Christian Orient and the Œcuménisme. Particularly rich funds relate to the Mont Athos, the iconography and the history of the Russian Église.

Community

In 1909, Dom Lambert Beauduin (1873 - 1960), then monk of the Abbey of the Mount César of Leuwen, initiates the liturgical Mouvement which launches the liturgical revival to Belgium, in particular through the review the Liturgical and Parochial Questions , whose publication starts in 1910. The meeting of the Christian East returned Lambert Beauduin conscious of the division of the Churches and inspired its project to found a monastery dedicated to the unit of the Christians. In 1924, the pope Pie XI addresses the letter Equidem Verba to the Abbot primacy of the Order Benedictine in order to draw his attention to the question of the unit; this letter is the release which leads Dom Beauduin to carry out this project. It is in 1926 that the “priory for the Unit of the Churches” with Amay is founded (Diocèse of Liege). Lambert Beauduin is the first prior. It is from there that in 1926 the first number of the review Irénikon appears which is always published by the monastery.

The community moves with Chevetogne (Diocèse of Namur) in 1939. But Dom Beauduin is not already more the prior. Indeed, as of 1928 with the publication by Black and white XI of the Encyclical particularly critical Mortalium Animos on the development of oecumenism, of the confrontations is done day as for the vocation of the community. Whereas Lambert Beauduin wants to affirm it like a test of true communion, the episcopal authorities, whose Mgr of Herbigny, wish to advance in a direction plus proselyte, and to constitute a monastery Uniate. This vision does not correspond to that of Beauduin, famous for its sturdy character, which leads it to be excluded from the abbey in 1932. It then begins an exile of almost 20 years during which he will become the true pioneer of the oecumenical cause. It is not that in 1951 qu' it reinstates " sa" community, with the statute of host. Dom Becquet, one of its former students, is then the prior.

Oecumenism with Chevetogne

The oecumenical vocation of the abbey is translated with the daily newspaper in the course of the celebrations. The monks divide themselves into two liturgical groups, one celebrating according to the tradition of the Occident, the other according to the tradition of the Byzantine East. The specificity of the monastic project of Chevetogne holds so that the two rites were adopted for the reconciliation of the East and the Occident Christians, across the denominational ruptures, to thus give body to the primacy of the prayer. The Byzantine office is celebrated in slavon while the Eucharistie is sometimes celebrated in Greek.

The community has, obviously, of the relations supported with the Eastern old churches. It also developed very strong bonds with the other Christian churches: the Communion Anglican and churches resulting from the Reform.

Activities and productions

Music

As of the foundation of the community, the liturgical songs of the Russian orthodoxy were of use for the celebration of the Byzantine office. The monks of the abbey quickly became a musical reference on the matter and many recordings were carried out since the years 1960, first of all under the direction of Dom Gregoire Bainbridge then under that of Dom Philippe Bär. As from 1984 the monastery of Chevetogne started to produce a series of CD under its own label in collaboration with the studios Art and Musique with Angers, specialized in the edition of crowned Musique. The unit is then directed by the Father Maxime Gimenez, then by the Father Thomas Pott.

Reception of hosts

The monks of the monastery of Chevetogne accommodate for a few days of the hosts who wish on their premises to spend a moment of retirement in bond with the spirituality of the monastery. Three houses are reserved for the reception of the hosts. A hotel trade reserved to the male hosts is located inside the monastery. The second hotel trade, intended to the ladies and for the families, is the house of Béthanie. A third house, Move, allows the reception of more or less autonomous groups.

Artisanal productions

The abbey produces also various artisanal objects, often related to the Russian orthodoxe traditions. They thus produce objects in Bronze enamelled, many reproductions of icons and various objects of worship.

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