Maredsous is reached from the Meuse via the Molignée valley, in the commune of Maredret. Henri-Philippe Desclée (1802 - 1873), husband of Appoline Semet, and their two sons Henri (1830 - 1917) and Jules (1833 - 1911), settled here, in the farm castle of Maredsous.
The Desclée family wanted to see a Benedictine abbey established on the family estate and financed the construction of a vast abbey at Maredsous, high up in the Molignée valley.
This high school of 300 students still exists today and is one of the Benedictine abbeys.
Many famous artists were trained at this art school (Jijé, Félix Roulin, Émile Souply, Jean Willame). The School of Arts no longer exists. The buildings are currently occupied by the visitor centre.
The library of Maredsous Abbey is a semi-private scientific institution. Conceived as a library for the monastic community, it readily opens its doors to those who request it: students, teachers, researchers.
Today, the beer is produced by the Duvel-Moortgat brewery. A microbrewery exists on the site of Maredsous Abbey and is open to visitors.
The visitor centre welcomes pilgrims who find it a place to eat and drink in an inspiring and rejuvenating setting.
To accompany the Maredsous beer that pilgrims love, the monks set to work developing a delicious cheese. In 1952, they returned to their ancestral maturing methods and transformed the fruit cellars into real maturing cellars.
Adrien Desclée de Maredsous (a direct descendant of the founders of Maredsous Abbey, Jules and Henri Desclée) decided to develop the raw materials produced on the family land at Maredsous. The herbal distillery is located on the family farm in Maredsous.
Adrien Desclée de Maredsous and the monks of Maredsous joined forces to produce spirits and work with medicinal plants. In 2023, the herbal distillery will take up residence on the former farm of the Maredsous Abbey.