Monastère Saint-André de Clerlande

Monastère Saint-André de Clerlande is a Benedictine priory tucked into the Lauzelle forest, right next to Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve in Walloon Brabant. Instead of a grand medieval abbey, visitors find a modest, modern cluster of buildings folded into a pine wood — a place built for silence rather than sightseeing.

Where did this community come from?

The priory was founded in 1970 as a daughter house of the abbey of Saint-André de Zevenkerken (also known as Saint-André-lez-Bruges). A group of monks settled on a wooded hillside in the Lauzelle forest just as the new university town of Louvain-la-Neuve was being built next door. The architectural concept — a "monastery-house" rather than a fortress-like enclosure — came from architect Jean Cosse working with Father Frédéric Debuyst, who envisioned something closer to a small hamlet than a classical cloistered quadrangle.

What does the community look like today?

Over the decades the original buildings grew into what the community itself calls a small hamlet: separate but connected houses scattered among the trees. Clerlande is home to roughly twenty monks today, living according to the Rule of Saint Benedict — prayer, work, and communal life structured around the hours of the liturgy. In 1978 part of the community left to establish a new foundation in Congo, an episode that remains part of Clerlande's identity as a place with missionary ties rather than a purely local enclave.

Can you actually stay there?

Yes — and that's one of the things that sets Clerlande apart from a monument you simply walk past. The monastery welcomes guests looking for quiet, space to reflect, or simply rest away from the noise of daily life. It offers seven rooms for individuals or couples and five rooms for younger guests. Meals are shared with the monks in the refectory, which seats up to fifteen people — a small physical detail that says a lot about the scale and character of the place: intimate rather than institutional.

Where exactly is it?

The address is Allée de Clerlande 1, 1340 Ottignies. The monastery sits within the Lauzelle forest, directly adjacent to Louvain-la-Neuve, one of Belgium's youngest towns, purpose-built from scratch in the 1970s for the relocated campus of the Université catholique de Louvain. That contrast — a freshly built university town right next to a half-century-old contemplative monastic community — is one of the more striking features of this corner of Walloon Brabant.

Who is this place for?

Clerlande isn't a tourist attraction in the conventional sense — there are no entrance tickets or guided tours through historic interiors. It suits people looking for a retreat, some quiet time, or a short stay away from urban pace, as well as walkers exploring the Lauzelle forest who stumble upon this small, focused community almost by accident.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit the monastery? Not as a typical sightseeing tour — it's an active religious community, but it welcomes guests for retreat stays.

How many people live at Clerlande? Around twenty monks.

When was the monastery founded? In 1970, as a foundation of the abbey of Saint-André de Zevenkerken.

Where exactly is Clerlande located? In the Lauzelle forest, at Allée de Clerlande 1 in Ottignies, right next to Louvain-la-Neuve.