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In Sint-Martens-Lierde, the remnants of the former Carthusian priory of Sint-Martens-Bos, founded in 1329, can be found.
Only the 18th-century buildings have been preserved, such as the rectory, the monastery church, the entrance gate, and part of the guest quarters.

The Order of Carthusians was founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno of Cologne in the inhospitable Chartreuse Mountains north of Grenoble.
It is a contemplative order of hermits who live together between seclusion in a hermitage and only in community on Sundays.

The order has never known a so-called observance movement because it has always adhered to its rule and the ideals of its founder. In Latin, this is succinctly stated: numquam reformata, quia numquam reformanda, never reformed, because there was never any need for reform; or also numquam reformata, quia numquam deformata, never reformed because it has never been deformed.

Carthusians live in a type of laura with separate hermitages in garden-like courtyards enclosed by walls, interconnected by long corridors.
In a central courtyard, there is typically a church and a large wooden cross.
For each Carthusian monastery, specific boundaries are/were designated, within which monks were allowed to roam for some relaxation or a walk.
This area had to be far enough from the inhabited world.

The Carthusians are said to be the strictest living monks of the Western monastic tradition, although that reputation is difficult to verify since they never step outside their monasteries and even write to their families only sporadically.