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The abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren

 

 

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The Birgittans (1615- 1784)

In 1610 Gilles De Lattre, former servant of Mgr De Hennin, bishop of Ieper (Ypres), retreated with two companions in seclusion on the Duinengoed near to the 'Capelle St Seicx', with the permission of the abbot of the abbey of Ter Duinen (Duinenabdij).

After living as a hermit for a few years, the joined the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, usually called the order of the Birgittans, called after the foundress Saint Birgitta of Sweden.
La communauté resta toujours de taille modeste. De l'Obituaire qu'on a conservé, il apparaît qu'au cours de ses 170 années d'existence, le couvent fut habité au total par 95 Brigittins.

 

de H. Birgitta van Zweden

Birgittans convents usually were double monasteries: a department for men and one for women. St Sixtus was the first convent for men only. Soon it developed to a small congregation with different houses.

Thanks to the mediation of the bishop of Ieper, on August 21 1630 the Duinenabdij donated the land on which the monastery of the Birgittans was built to the monks , provided that they would always recognize Ter Duinen as the true lords of the place and that they would yearly offer a big candle to the Duinenbdij on the festival of Saint Bernard.
de Duinenabdij

We still know a few names of monks: Frater Egidius De Latre, Frater Gabriël à sancto Spiritu, Pater Egidius à Deserto, Pater Augustinus à sancta Monica. In a course of 170 years the community had a total of 95 members. They were from Poperinge, Ieper, Hazebrouck, Duinkerken, Roesbrugge, Beveren, Alveringem, Vleteren...

After a century and a half, the reign of The Austrians Habsburg Dynasty, and particularly emperor Joseph II made an end to the monastery of the Birgittans of St Sixtus. Joseph II urged a reorganization of the church and even decided on the abolition of contemplative religious orders. The monks where obliged to return "to the world". They were given some financial support. Petition by the population, the parish priests and the monks themselves remained unanswered.
At this moment St Sixtus counted 8 monks, 3 lay brothers and 3 novices. On May 15th 1784 they had to leave the convent, which was sold soon. The buildings were demolished to use the materials.

A few years later the French army attacked the region and a religious persecution was started. St Sixtus seemed to have died. The divine providence decided otherwise: he used one Jan-Baptist Victoor (born in Reningelst in 1756)...