The history of the priory begins with Maria van Geire, daughter of duke John III of Brabant, and lady of Turnhout (1347-1399). This lady performed a lot of good work for the community and furthermore gave away many possessions, among which Corsendonk in 1393. Her intention was to secure her place in heaven.

Today at Corsendonk, we still find the original north wing of the monastery. How the priory once was, can be concluded from the gravel path that precisely reflects the shape of the ancient monastery.
The former heated room (the chapter house), i.e. the room where the canons used to work on their manuscripts, is situated on the ground floor. Further, the refectories of the brothers were to be found on this floor. Even the cellar with its beautiful arches has remained almost entirely intact.

On this territory we can also still see the Guesthouse - next to the Women’s House and the Laymen’s House - that used to serve as residence of travellers who had not yet found a place to stay at dawn. One can see that the actual function of Corsendonk can be found in a distant past.

Shortly after the foundation (1395), it was decided that Corsendonk would be populated with regular canons of Saint Augustine under the guidance of a prior. The monks were mainly occupied with praying and meditating, with worshipping and practising calligrahy.

The monastery was closed by Joseph II in Austrian times (in 1785). This closure became final during the French Revolution, i.e. in 1795. At the end of the 19th Century, Corsendonk was solely being used as a mansion house by industrial families from the city of Turnhout.

Fernand Nédéé bought the estate in 1968. He wanted to restore the complex the right way and so bring Corsendonk back alive.

The flemish government decided to contribute to the restauration of the buildings that were still suitable. After the Women's House and the Laymen's house, also the north wing and the Guesthouse were worked on. The older buildings could not be restored anymore because of their poor condition.

The main problem was of course the financing and the permanent maintenance of the entire domain. In 1975, it was therefore decided to convert the Priory into a conference centre. Through the years, supplementary activities have been added, such as the hotel and gastronomy, special weekend arrangements and other events.

If you are interested in the complete history of "Corsendonck", please send an e-mail to info.priorij@corsendonk.be