Ruins of the priory of Our Lady of the Throne

Our Lady of the Throne was a priory of high spiritual and cultural standing. It was founded in 1414 by knight Arnold van Crayenhem and his wife Johanna van Steyvoort. The monastery was built on "Hulsdonk", on the old road from Grobbendonk to Herentals and belonged to the Windesheimer order. The foundation took off in a high-quality spiritual and art-craft way, especially in the field of book illumination. There was a new prosperity after the destruction and looting of 1572-1579, but the foundation experienced a definite decline after its confiscation during the French Revolution.
Afterwards it was well used as a farm, with the church being converted into a barn. In 1898 the church was finally destroyed by fire but saved from demolition by Canon Floris Prims who bought the church in 1931. After a donation to the Archdiocese of Mechelen and in 1992 to the municipality of Grobbendonk, the excavations and restoration of the ruin were started a year later by the non-profit organization "De IJsvogel".
The other buildings around the partially cobbled courtyard are remnants of the former priory and are privately owned. The eastern cloister wing (formerly with chapter house, dormitory, refectory and kitchen) and the western enclosure wall with entrance gate probably date back to the 15th century. The south wing is more recent and heavily modified.
Source: municipality of Grobbendonk

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