Adbij van Tongerlo

At the request of Lord Giselbert of Castelre, a wealthy landlord, around 1130 some Norbertines came from the St. Michael's Abbey of Antwerp. settle on his estate in Tongerlo. This young monastic foundation arose in the context of the ecclesiastical renewal movement around Norbert van Gennep, who had started a community of regular canons in Prémontré (Fr.) around 1121.

A bull of Pope Gregory IX confirms the following parish churches as the property of the abbey with the abbot responsible for the pastorate: Tongerlo, Oevel, Broechem, Oelegem, Wijnegem, Ravels, Poppel, Diest, and in present-day North Brabant (NL): Alphen, Nispen and Diessen. In addition, the abbot was vested with the patronage right over the churches of Oirbeek, Enschot, Zundert, Hoogeloon and Tilburg.

The community of norbertines, which together with their male brothers formed a double monastery in Tongerlo, became too numerous and moved to the abbey's courtyard at Eeuwen onder Broechem. However, the new convent did not survive the thirteenth century.

Abbot Jan Geerts succeeds in resurrecting a new Norbertine sister community in 'Het Besloten hof' in Herentals.

Under the leadership of the abbots Werner van Halleer (1480-1487), Antoon Tsgrooten (1504-1530) and Arnoud Streyters (1530-1560), Tongerlo in the Kempen region achieved reasonable material prosperity and was highly regarded. The renovations and beautification works of the church and monastery for which the best architects, artists and craftsmen were recruited testify to this. From that time only the bishop's house remains (1547). More information...

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