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Here lie the ruins of a Cistercian abbey, built in the thirteenth century. One of the fascinating things about this incredible structure, and many of Europe’s exquisite relics, is that there are so many of them to be seen there are seldom throngs of tourists to ruin the experience of visiting. The Abbey of Villers is so calm and peaceful, with its overgrown walls, graceful arches and serene chambers, one must wonder how anything chaotic could have happened here. Fortunately, it didn’t. Besides some Spanish plundering and vandalism in the 1500s, the abbey didn’t undergo major trauma; it’s decline was peaceful. In some cases, like this one, a deterioration is more like a change of purpose. The abbey used to provide shelter for the spiritually inclined: now it provides a spiritual thrill to the visitor.
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