Hopefully I manage to convey a sense of the middle ages here!
The history of the Abbey of Villers-la-Ville dates back to the 12th Century, although most of the ruins are from at least one century later. During the peak of the monastery, over 100 monks and more than 300 converses were living in the abbey, which included many different buildings. In effect, in the middle ages, such monasteries were practically villages in themselves. Deterioration of the abbey began in the 16th and 17th century, although in the 18th century the abbey knows a second golden period . In 1796 the French Revolution abolishes the abbey and sells it.
The romanesque church of Nijvel (Nivelles) is a fine example of this architectural style.