Ename Abbey

Ename Abbey

Sint-Salvatorsabdij
The abbey ruins, now a heritage site
Monastery information
Order	Order of Saint Benedict
Established	1063
Disestablished	1795
People
Founder(s)	Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, Adele of France
Architecture
Status	ruin
Heritage designation	Provincial Archaeological Park
Designated date	1998
Site
Coordinates	50°51′29″N 3°37′44″E / 50.858°N 3.629°E / 50.858; 3.629Coordinates: 50°51′29″N 3°37′44″E / 50.858°N 3.629°E / 50.858; 3.629
Public access	Free access to ruins. Provincial Archaeological Museum open Tuesday–Sunday, 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed on Mondays and during the Christmas holidays)

Ename Abbey (1063–1795) was a Benedictine monastery in the village of Ename, now a suburb of Oudenaarde. It was founded by Adele of France, wife of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, and was confiscated during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was then sold and dismantled.

The archaeological development of the site began with the work of Adelbert Van de Walle in the 1940s. Since 1998 it has been part of the Provincial Archaeological Park attached to the provincial archaeological museum (PAM Ename).

During the first half of the 11th century the tension between the Holy Roman Empire and the county of Flanders grew, especially in border territories. Ename was a stronghold on the river Scheldt that marked the border of the Empire. In 1033 Baldwin V took possession of the keep and destroyed it; in 1047 the territory of Ename was definitively under his control. In order to demilitarise the area, in 1063 Adele of France founded the Abbey of Our Lady that received the village of Ename and other properties to provide financial income. The Benedictine abbey was established in the former Ottonian palace building, directed by a monk from the Saint Vedastus abbey in Arras. It was under the direct control of the Pope and through all its history it maintained a close relation with the counts of Flanders.

The construction of the abbey complex started immediately around the Saint Salvator church, formerly part of the village. Around 1070 the new abbey was finished and was founded a second time with the dedication to Saint Salvator. The previous palace building became then a chapel dedicated to Our Lady.

In 1139 the Ottonian church of Saint Salvator was replaced by a bigger Romanesque church, inspired by the Benedictine abbeys of Cluny, Hirschau and Affligem. The abbey was flourishing as it had acquired many properties that provided a steady income. Around 1165 the abbey buildings were replaced by larger and more decorated buildings in the new Gothic style.