Belgian Trappist Sisters Close Their Abbey

The Trappist sisters of Notre-Dame de Brialmont Abbey in Tilff, in the Diocese of Liège, Belgium, celebrated a Eucharist of thanksgiving on 25 July before leaving the abbey after 65 years at the site.

The Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Jean-Pierre Delville of Liège together with Dom Xavier Frisque, abbot of Orval and the superior responsible for the Brialmont community.

Only six sisters remain in the community. The Order announced in February 2026 that the abbey would close because of the sisters' advanced age, declining numbers and the absence of new vocations.

Pope John Paul II paid a private visit to the abbey in 1985.

The Diocese of Liège said a new ecological, social and spiritual project for the site is being developed in partnership with Orval Abbey and other local partners.

Picture: © Diocèse de Liège, #newsPhcrwrveaq