The Benedictine St. Adelbert Abbey in Egmond-Binnen.
With a break after the Reformation, Egmond has been home to a community of Benedictine monks for more than a thousand years, praying and working daily and testifying in life and work to how good a life with God is.
Benedictine monks form a contemplative community. Yet the mission of the community is not only to serve God and each other, but also to bear witness outwardly to the space this way of life gives.
The mission takes shape
- The prayer services and daily Eucharist –
- reception of guests in the guest house –
- Courses and one-time activities –
- The Benedictine Journal –
- Exhibitions and concerts –
- Books and religious items for sale in the Abbey Store and online.
Concerts
The abbey church regularly hosts concerts or recitals; the Abbey Concerts.The concerts are almost always free of charge and it is not possible to reserve seats in advance.
For more information about concert attendance or opportunities to participate in the concert series as performers, please contact coordinator Bram Verheijen: [email protected]
Art gallery and reception rooms
There are new exhibits here regularly. Also, from late November to the first week of January each year, there is a large nativity exhibition with sales. During that time, the visitor center is also open on Sundays.
Near the gallery is Quiet Terrace “The Orchard” overlooking fruit trees of old varieties and on the grounds is also aButterfly Garden, managed by the Butterfly Brother. In the gallery is a reception area and on the grounds is the Benedictushof: This small building, intended for courses and lectures can be rented by the half day, possibly with coffee/tea or a monastic lunch.
Direct link to the Reflection offerings
Abbey Church.
The abbey is first and foremost a place of prayer and inspiration. Here, a group of monks live a sober life according to the Rule of Benedict.
The façade reads, Deo vacare, which means to be free for God.
The monks appreciate it at all times if you -as well as the guests- attend one or more prayer services.
You will enter the church from the back in silence and feel free to take a seat. Once You have passed the glass wall, you will see a door on the left. There is a small heated prayer chapel there where you are also welcome.
So between services, visiting the church for quiet time is also possible. The other buildings of the abbey are not open for visits.There is a guesthouse and you can sign up for days of reflection.
At the back of the church in the Mausoleum is the tomb with the remains of Count Floris I. Here is also information about the first counts of Holland who were closely associated with the abbey.
Abbey Community
St. Adelbert Abbey is a Roman Catholic living community of men, young in spirit, who seek to realize the evangelical ideal of God’s kingdom-the reign of God’s love-in their lives. They practice this in a life of brotherly love, a life focused on prayer and mutual service.
Pictured flnr above: brother Luis Barbosa, brother Pieter-Jacob Berkhout, brother Frans Berkelmans, brother Adri Kortekaas, brother Eugène Rugl, brother Thijs Ketelaars, brother Steve Purperhart, brother Ole Stofring. flnr below: brother Cor Dekker, brother Simon Laoût, abbot Gerard Mathijsen, brother Nol van der Drift, brother Frans Melkert. Not pictured: brother Jan Kerkvliet lives in Warmond and brother Nico van der Drift lives in Teteringen in the community of Oosterhout.
Guided tour
For groups of ten or more, we provide guided tours of the candle-making workshop, pottery the museum and the abbey church.
After receiving coffee and cake, visit the Abbey church (N.B. the Abbey itself remains a closed section). Of course, tours take place by appointment. During the tour, you will hear about the origins of the Abbey and its role in the creation of Holland over the years. Next, we go to the candle-making workshop. We will show you how we craft candles and ceramics. There is also the opportunity to visit the separate exhibition area and museum. We have changing exhibits throughout the year.
Our Benedict Court is specially equipped to host groups for tours and monastic lunches. There is also the possibility of renting the Benedict’s Court for lectures, courses or other meetings.
For more information or reservation call : 072-5062786
From far and wide
From far and wide, all kinds of people, young and old, know how to find this special and hospitable place. Even though lay people take on many tasks, you will always come across some friendly monks. The stained glass windows and statues of saints create a mystical atmosphere. The visitor center is ground level.
Spend the night in the guest house? CLICK
NCRV TV Program Monastery Guests
Sun Oct 16 17:45 – Season 1 Episode 4 – Tim Hogenbosch
TV forester Tim Hogenbosch, who makes children’s programs, goes on a three-day retreat with the Benedictines at St. Adelbert Abbey in Egmond. Guests can catch their breath in the monastery. Tim, once Best Twitterer of the Year, is curious what silence does to him. He has also never met a monk in the flesh. The father of young children is used to some things, but actually finds the days of silence exhausting. The tight rhythms of meeting six times a day for prayer are spicy for him. He leaves the monastery with great respect for the brothers who give their lives to this.
Does the link no longer work please report it at [email protected]
Abbey store and candle making
Atmospheric display of spiritual books, children’s books, candles, artifacts, ceramics, icons, abbey beer, wine, maps, bicycle/hiking trail, etc. At the reading table, with a cup of coffee, there is much to browse the literature. Hikers of the Monks’ Trail, who often start here, get the 2nd cup free.
In the candle-making workshop, you can see how people make artisanal candles from pure raw materials a few days a week. You can have them painted to your liking. There is also a pottery.
Ample parking is available. Outside are information panels and on the village side along the path is a new steel artwork: the cloister.
For information, call the abbey: 072 5062786.
Museum with Abbey treasures and archaeological finds.
The abbey museum was recently completely renovated. There is a permanent exhibition on the medieval abbey and there are also changing exhibitions. In films, the monks talk about the history and their life at the abbey. There is a special movie for the children.
Adelbert was a monk from Ireland who brought the Christian faith here around the year 700. What remains of the bones of St. Adelbert have been stored in a perspex box in the high altar of the abbey since 1984. A long history preceded it. A centuries-old relic casket is still on display in the museum. The monks had some of the bones examined in Leiden. This revealed that it did indeed come from a man who lived around the year 700.
Reformed Church.
Next to the abbey is an extraordinary historic church that has regular exhibits on Sunday afternoons. It was partially built from remnants of the neighboring church of the original abbey. Its surroundings are picture-perfect. Nearby, on the convent road is a shed that looks like a miniature church. It had been a hideaway church during the war.
The Adelbertus Field.
Pilgrimage site 2 km west by the dunes.
Contact
The St. Adelbert Abbey, the abbey of Egmond-Binnen
St. Adelbert Abbey
Abbey Avenue 26
1935 BH Egmond-Binnen
Phone number: 072-5061415
Abbey store: 072-5062786
Abbey Store
Vennewatersweg 27a
1935 AR Egmond-Binnen
[email protected]
tel: 072 5062786
