Ter Cluysen

Ter Cluysen is a small settlement within the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud, in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, located roughly 3.5 km north of the municipal centre. Part of its area extends into the neighbouring municipality of Rhode-Saint-Genèse, placing it right at the boundary between two local communities. In French the place is known as L'Ermite (historically also spelled L'Hermite), while its Dutch name, Ter Cluysen, also appears in the alternate spelling Terkluizen.

Where does the name come from?

The name points back to the idea of a hermitage or secluded dwelling, and that clue leads directly to the earliest documented history of the place. It stems from the former Prieuré de l'Ermite, a small priory (a religious house dependent on a larger abbey) that once stood here. Although the priory itself no longer functions in its original form, its memory survives in the name still used for the settlement today.

How far back does the history of this place go?

The oldest known document referring to this area dates from 1131 and was drawn up at the abbey of Gembloux. It records that Duke Godefroid I of Brabant and his son ceded a property called Dudinsart to the Abbey of Gembloux. This is one of the few precisely dated early records concerning this part of the region, and it shows that settlement and religious activity here reach back to the medieval period, long before the modern administrative boundaries took shape.

What can visitors see in Ter Cluysen today?

A handful of structures still define the character of the settlement and its immediate surroundings. The Église du Sacré-Cœur de l'Ermite (Church of the Sacred Heart) serves as the main religious landmark of this part of the municipality. Next to it stands the Chapelle de l'Ermite, a chapel directly linked to the former priory that gave the place its name. A water tower, the Château d'eau de l'Ermite, is a distinctive landmark visible across the surrounding landscape, while nearby stands the Château de l'Hermite, a castle that points to a former manorial residence in the area.

Close by, the Golf de Sept Fontaines golf course combines recreational use with the open, green scenery typical of this part of Walloon Brabant — a region known for its gently rolling terrain and scattered rural settlements interspersed with woodland.

Why does the place go by two different names?

Ter Cluysen sits in a part of Belgium where French- and Dutch-speaking influences have historically overlapped, which is why the settlement carries two parallel names. The French form "Ermite" (once also written "Hermite") was formally recognised by the Académie française in the early 19th century, while the Dutch-speaking side kept its own spelling tradition, alternating between "Ter Cluyzen" and "Terkluizen." This dual naming is a common feature in this part of the country and is itself a trace of the region's layered administrative and cultural history.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Ter Cluysen located? It is a settlement within the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud, in Walloon Brabant, about 3.5 km north of the municipal centre, with part of its area reaching into the neighbouring municipality of Rhode-Saint-Genèse.

Where does the name Ter Cluysen come from? It derives from the former Prieuré de l'Ermite, a priory once located here — the same origin as the French name, L'Ermite, which refers to a hermitage.

What is the oldest known historical record about this area? An abbey document from Gembloux dated 1131, describing the transfer of the Dudinsart estate by Duke Godefroid I and his son.

What is there to see in Ter Cluysen? The Church of the Sacred Heart, the priory's chapel, a historic water tower, the nearby Château de l'Hermite, and the Golf de Sept Fontaines golf course.