Koksijde - Duinenabdij

The ruins of the Duinenabdij of Koksijde are among the most notable sacral buildings on the Belgian coast. The abbey was founded in 1107 by the Benedictines and taken over by the Cistercians in 1138 who built dikes to reclaim sizable strips of land from the sea and farmed large areas. The monks were driven away when the monastery was destroyed in 1578. The ruins of the building give an idea of the size of the abbey. The narthex, the 129m/423ft-long nave of the church of 1214, the cloisters, the refectory and parts of the monastery kitchen can still be seen.