2017 events at the Abbaye de Villers

The Abbaye de Villers, an array of activities to extend the influence of our Walloon heritage.

For 2017, the Abbaye de Villers-la-Ville is offering a wide range of activities throughout the year, with an almost permanent on site exhibition.

The Abbaye de Villers with its 5 suns tourist classification since 2012 and the opening of its visitor centre and a visitor route last June must continue to promote this tourist and heritage showcase to both Belgian and foreign tourists.

The Abbey also continues its programme of activities for targeted audiences including families, groups, schools and businesses.

"Bonuses" during the visit

Since June 2016, the Abbey has offered additional keys to understanding on its site map and audio guide through the new Visitor Centre and on its new visitor route.

In high season, the Abbey has a new, modern tool for visiting families, "L'Ardoise", which is a multimedia tablet. Using this interactive tablet, the visitor can choose which of the various multimedia content to view. This content uses the innovative technology of augmented reality which superimposes images on top of reality. This enables visitors to see a reconstruction of how the Abbey previously looked while in the centre of the ruins.

The Abbey also offers "bonuses" for the visitor that vary throughout the year. In total: 5 exhibitions and a Heritage Craft village

2 exhibitions started in 2016 come to an end with the arrival of spring: the exhibition of monumental contemporary sculptures Ombre et lumière in dialogue with the Abbey in situ and the exhibition Né quelque part, hier et aujourd’hui which examines the historical and current reality of the child in the Roman cellar.

Spring marks the start of an exhibition on medicinal plants. The opportunity to (re)discover the Abbey's 2 medicinal plant gardens, the Jardin des Simples, a medieval-inspired garden and the Jardin des Moines, with medicinal plants used today.

In summer, the photography festival Brassage photographique invites visitors on a journey and understanding of others. For the Heritage Days on the theme of "By water, land and air", the visitor discovers how the installation of the railway in 1855 would wreak havoc on the site. During the weekend, craftsmen specialising in ancient or modern heritage pass on their passion and expertise through demonstrations and workshops.

In winter and to bring the year to an end, an indoor exhibition plays host to fantastic models of the gears and machines by Leonardo da Vinci.

Activities around the Abbey's Gardens

The Abbey hosts a festival and a programme of activities (guided tours, workshops, lectures, etc.) around its 5 gardens, 2 are ornamental, the Jardin de l’Abbé, designed as a French-style garden and the Jardin de la Pharmacie comprised of 2 terraces. 2 others contain medicinal plants of yesterday and today, the Jardin des Simples, which reflects a monastic medicinal garden from the Middle Ages and the Jardin des Moines with its beds inspired by the circular patterns of the Gothic windows of the Monks' Refectory alongside it. Finally, a fragrance garden, the Jardin des Senteurs follows the path that leads to the Saint Bernard Chapel.

On the weekend of 13 & 14 May, the Festival of the Abbey's Gardens showcases garden arts and crafts. The programme features a plant market, garden design ideas, workshops, tastings, discovery tours of the 5 Abbey Gardens, etc.

Family events

The Abbey spoils families and groups of friends with no fewer than 5 events designed specifically for them: the family event day on Easter Monday, 17 April L’Abbaye en fête; the trade show From Horse-drawn to the automobile on Sunday 4 June; the Trail de l’Abbaye (Saturday 7 October); the late night event (Saturday 14 October), illuminated by flashlights, the Treasure Hunt; the of Tempo d’Eole horse cabaret around the end of year festivities. An entertaining way to discover a site classified as an exceptional heritage site of Wallonia.

Music

The Abbey presents the second Musicals of the Abbey. This series of 3 concerts organised in the Abbey's beautiful 12^th-century Roman cellar (enclosed and heated) is aimed at music lovers and fans alike with concerts focusing on world music and young talents.

Local and craft products

For a weekend (23 & 24 September), the Abbaye de Villers-la-Ville becomes the capital of craft beer and micro-breweries. With Carrément Bières, the Abbey is therefore the highly symbolic setting for this meeting of Beerlovers the devotees of beer!

Throughout the year, the Abbey Store also offers craft and local products such as an Abbey-branded Service des moines dinner service created by the Villers-based ceramicist Jean-Luc Viot, natural and organic certified soaps by L’Arbre à Savon manufactured in Céroux-Mousty and even Domaine de Mellemont wines, the Abbey's former barn. And coming soon, aperitifs and digestives...

With its year-round "bonuses", the Abbey aims to build loyalty among its visitors. The Abbey is also seeking to educate all age groups about the exceptional heritage of Wallonia represented by the Abbaye de Villers.

Please visit our website, www.villers.be for all additional information.