Auderghem Cemetery

Auderghem Cemetery (French: Cimetière d'Auderghem, Dutch: Oudergem) is a communal cemetery in the south-eastern Brussels municipality of Auderghem, roughly 7 kilometres from the city centre. Its entrance opens onto Jean van Hoorenbeecklaan, and the grounds sit tucked behind motorways and stretches of woodland, giving the site a quiet, somewhat secluded feel despite the busy roads running nearby.

How did the current cemetery come about?

The basic layout of today's cemetery was drawn up just after the First World War. Before that, residents of Auderghem buried their dead near the old Rouge Cloître (Rood Klooster) abbey, a site with roots going back to the medieval period. The shift from the old abbey cemetery to the new communal grounds was not immediate — it played out gradually over decades, and the very last tomb was only moved from the old site in 1967. That slow transition means Auderghem Cemetery can be read as a kind of condensed record of the commune's own history, bridging an older, monastic burial tradition with a modern, secular municipal cemetery.

Why does this site matter historically?

Auderghem Cemetery is not simply a resting place for local residents — it also serves a memorial function tied to twentieth-century conflict. Six Commonwealth war graves from the Second World War are located here, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Their presence links this local cemetery to a much wider international network of memorial sites across Europe honouring Allied soldiers who died during the continent's liberation from occupation.

What stands next to the cemetery?

Directly behind the cemetery grounds stands a school building, today known as Établissement Sainte-Bernadette. Its history is closely woven into the local community: the building previously housed the Sacré-Cœur institute, which initially took in unmarried pregnant women and later became a maternity ward. It was the only maternity ward operating within the boundaries of Auderghem, meaning that for many years most residents of this part of Brussels were actually born there. This juxtaposition — a cemetery beside a former birthplace — gives the surrounding area a symbolic sense of the life cycle, something local historians and guides often point out.

Is Auderghem Cemetery worth visiting?

For anyone interested in the history of Brussels and its individual municipalities, Auderghem Cemetery offers an interesting, less obvious stop. It is not a conventional tourist attraction but rather a layered historical site, connecting the medieval legacy of the Rouge Cloître abbey, the memory of the Second World War, and the identity of the local commune. A walk through its tree-lined paths, set apart from the bustle of central Brussels, can make for a peaceful addition to a visit to the nearby Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes) or to the Rouge Cloître abbey itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Auderghem Cemetery located? In the municipality of Auderghem, in the south-eastern part of the Brussels-Capital Region, with its entrance on Jean van Hoorenbeecklaan.

Are there war graves at the cemetery? Yes, six Commonwealth war graves from the Second World War, cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Where did burials predating the current cemetery come from? From the old cemetery by the Rouge Cloître abbey — the last tomb was moved from there in 1967.