1. The History
Monastère Antoinette is former monastery located at the centre of the small town of Amay on the banks of the River Meuse in the Liege region of Belgium. The monastery has been abandoned since 2008 and a rehabilitation project was in place to restore it. However on Sunday at around 2pm on 26th February, 2023, a serious fire broke out.
The building dates back from 1904 but was not listed and after its abandonment was regularly squatted. Going further back, the monastery was a castle owned by Louis-Charles-François Lallemant, the Count of Levignan, who built it in 1786. A few years later in 1892, the Sisters of St. Charles settled here but were asked to leave just three years later. Then, in 1904, two local businessmen, Braibant and Gabriel, took over the site and built a big proportion of the neo-Gothic style buildings that are extant today, including the cloister. The chapel, named Carmel Reparation, name-checks the French Carmelites who lived here prior to the Benedictine monks from the Union of Churches who were resident between 1926 to 1939.
Old postcard from the early 1900s:
During the World War II, the monastery was commandeered by the Germans in 1940. After the war, the monastery was deconsecrated and occupied by nuns. On merging with the Sisters of St. Augustine in 1969, it became a rest home with a capacity of circa 50 residents, until the last residents left in 2008. A year later, in 2009, a real estate company based in nearby Visé purchased the site. They had plans for the development of the building into 44 high-quality housing units. However, these plans never reached fruition and the site lay empty, subject to vandalism and then the devastating arson attack in 2023 which destroyed the bell tower and a large part of the buildings and the roof.
2. The Explore
On to my last report of my Belgium break and the first, and arguably best, explore I did. This place was a relatively short drive from where we were staying and on one of the few mornings when the sun showed its face. This place has been on the urbex circuit for some time. It’s a big site and sits bang in the middle of the town. Looking at previous reports, it looked like an excellent explore. However, just prior to going I saw the news about the fire in 2023 and the destruction it brought to the convent. Despite this I decided still to give it a look and glad I did. Having parked up and walked up to the site entrance, getting in was pretty straight-forward. Despite the fire, there’s still plenty to see and it made for an interesting and relaxed explore.
3. The Pictures
First thing you come to if this sizeable outhouse:
On to the main façade:
In we go:
The lower floor of the main building remains pretty much intact:
View out to the inner courtyard:
The rooms are pretty trashed:
Nice little detail:
This is in stark contrast to the floor above:
The town’s Collégiale Saints-Georges-et-Ode in the background:
The radiator survives!
As does this one too:
Looking down into the chapel:
Elevator NOT going down!
Quick peek in the chapel:
Heartbreaking to see the stained-glass windows in this state:
And back out to the other side which is in the best condition:
The cellar is OK:
The boiler doesn’t look too old either:
Obligatory armchair:
Monastère Antoinette is former monastery located at the centre of the small town of Amay on the banks of the River Meuse in the Liege region of Belgium. The monastery has been abandoned since 2008 and a rehabilitation project was in place to restore it. However on Sunday at around 2pm on 26th February, 2023, a serious fire broke out.
The building dates back from 1904 but was not listed and after its abandonment was regularly squatted. Going further back, the monastery was a castle owned by Louis-Charles-François Lallemant, the Count of Levignan, who built it in 1786. A few years later in 1892, the Sisters of St. Charles settled here but were asked to leave just three years later. Then, in 1904, two local businessmen, Braibant and Gabriel, took over the site and built a big proportion of the neo-Gothic style buildings that are extant today, including the cloister. The chapel, named Carmel Reparation, name-checks the French Carmelites who lived here prior to the Benedictine monks from the Union of Churches who were resident between 1926 to 1939.
Old postcard from the early 1900s:
During the World War II, the monastery was commandeered by the Germans in 1940. After the war, the monastery was deconsecrated and occupied by nuns. On merging with the Sisters of St. Augustine in 1969, it became a rest home with a capacity of circa 50 residents, until the last residents left in 2008. A year later, in 2009, a real estate company based in nearby Visé purchased the site. They had plans for the development of the building into 44 high-quality housing units. However, these plans never reached fruition and the site lay empty, subject to vandalism and then the devastating arson attack in 2023 which destroyed the bell tower and a large part of the buildings and the roof.
2. The Explore
On to my last report of my Belgium break and the first, and arguably best, explore I did. This place was a relatively short drive from where we were staying and on one of the few mornings when the sun showed its face. This place has been on the urbex circuit for some time. It’s a big site and sits bang in the middle of the town. Looking at previous reports, it looked like an excellent explore. However, just prior to going I saw the news about the fire in 2023 and the destruction it brought to the convent. Despite this I decided still to give it a look and glad I did. Having parked up and walked up to the site entrance, getting in was pretty straight-forward. Despite the fire, there’s still plenty to see and it made for an interesting and relaxed explore.
3. The Pictures
First thing you come to if this sizeable outhouse:
On to the main façade:
In we go:
The lower floor of the main building remains pretty much intact:
View out to the inner courtyard:
The rooms are pretty trashed:
Nice little detail:
This is in stark contrast to the floor above:
The town’s Collégiale Saints-Georges-et-Ode in the background:
The radiator survives!
As does this one too:
Looking down into the chapel:
Elevator NOT going down!
Quick peek in the chapel:
Heartbreaking to see the stained-glass windows in this state:
And back out to the other side which is in the best condition:
The cellar is OK:
The boiler doesn’t look too old either:
Obligatory armchair:
