Church of the Commandery Alden Biesen

We walk up to the mighty fortress, once the most important residence of the knights of the Teutonic Order, founded in 1190 in the Holy Land.

Alden Biesen was the central point from which the Teutonic Knights managed twelve commanderies and associated estates in the Meuse and Rhine regions. The preserved buildings date from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Today, Alden Biesen is a multifunctional cultural center of the Flemish government.


We enter the estate through the archway with tower and to the left, the guesthouse where once needy pilgrims could find refuge. Now there is a hospitality business set up. Above the door, we find traces of the coat of arms from the early 18th century of land commander Damian Hugo von Schönborn. Before us lies the beautiful lime tree avenue, the 'Maastricht avenue' with at the other end - 700 meters further - the Apostles' House that von Schönborn had built as an additional guesthouse with twelve rooms. This former main entrance of Alden Biesen is now a captivating nature educational center that introduces visitors to the richness of the Haspengouw landscape. The Alden Biesen site is an inseparable part of this landscape with its imposing oaks and beeches, with the many paths leading to the estate and with high-stem orchards where you can still find old fruit varieties. Efforts are being made to appreciate the historical landscape around the land commandery.

Inform yourself beforehand in the brand new reception center where the exceptionally interesting history of the land commandery is told. Almost the entire outdoor estate, including the church and the English garden, is freely accessible. From the 'avenue', we see the north façade of the castle church with in a niche the statue of Our Lady, patron saint of the Teutonic Order. The construction of the current castle church started in 1631. The Baroque interior bears witness to a triumphant Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation. In the outer courtyard, we see the Tuscan arcaded gallery from the first half of the 17th century.

On the impressive outer courtyard, we see on one side the riding school, a stable for thoroughbred horses, and the large tithe barn in which the tithes of the grain harvest were stored. These buildings were erected around 1570. We reach the residence or water castle of the Teutonic Order by crossing the stone bridge over the castle moat. The fortress from the mid-16th century replaced the original building from the 13th century. From the end of the 17th century, the knights' residence was remodeled into a Baroque residence of the land commander. In the inner courtyard, the western wing was transformed into classicizing Baroque under the rule of von Schönborn. Horizontal and vertical turf bands decorate the façade which is topped with a pediment made of marl.

ToolMMM