Westvleteren Abbey

Sint-Sixtusabdij Westvleteren is a Trappist monastery tucked away in the woods near the village of Westvleteren, in Belgium's West Flanders province. It belongs to the Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappists, and has become one of the most recognized religious sites in Belgium — not for grand architecture, but for the monastic way of life practiced there and the beer its monks brew.

How did the abbey come to be?

The story begins in 1814, when a hermit named Jan-Baptist Victoor settled in the surrounding forest, seeking solitude and a place for prayer. Several years later, in 1831, monks from the French abbey of Mont-des-Cats joined him, forming the community that would grow into Saint-Sixtus Abbey. From that point on, monastic life here was organized around the three pillars central to Trappist tradition: prayer, spiritual reading, and manual labor.

Where did the beer come from?

Brewing at the abbey did not start as a commercial venture. The earliest batches were made in small quantities purely for the monks' own consumption. According to the abbey's own archives, the first recorded expenses tied to setting up a brewery date back to June 1838. The following year, in April 1839, the abbey received an official brewer's license personally signed by Leopold I, King of the Belgians. From that moment, brewing became a lasting part of the community's daily rhythm.

Why is this place so well known?

Saint-Sixtus Abbey belongs to a small, exclusive group of producers of authentic Trappist beer — beer brewed by monks, within the walls of the monastery, under their direct supervision, in line with the standards set by the International Trappist Association. The brewery produces three traditional beers, but it does so in deliberately limited quantities. The goal has never been to maximize output or profit, but to strike a balance between income-generating work and the contemplative nature of monastic life.

Where does the money from the beer go?

Proceeds from beer sales are not kept as private income for the monks. Instead, they fund the upkeep of the abbey itself and support the community's charitable work. This model is typical of Trappist monasteries more broadly: manual labor, including the craft of brewing, is treated as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Thanks to this approach, the abbey has remained largely self-sufficient for nearly two centuries, while also extending support to those in need around it.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors tour the abbey? Sint-Sixtusabdij is first and foremost an active monastery, not a tourist attraction in the conventional sense — access to the monastic interior is limited out of respect for the monks' contemplative way of life.

Since when has beer been brewed here? The earliest traces of brewing activity date to 1838, with a formal brewing license granted in 1839 under King Leopold I.

How many beers does the brewery produce? The brewery makes three traditional Trappist beers, brewed in limited quantities.

Why is production kept so small? The brewery's purpose is not profit maximization but generating enough income to sustain the abbey and its charitable activities, while preserving the monks' contemplative rhythm of life.