A reader sent me notice of a film made ca. 1964 for the Belgian television network BRT, about the Premonstratensian Abbey of Park (Abdij van ’t Park), just outside Leuven. There is a small amount of commentary in Dutch at the beginning, but most of the film just shows images and sounds from the abbey rather than commentary. There is a lot of nice footage of the interior of the church, with altars prepared for Mass, the sacristy, the choir, and the chant, and some footage of the Norbertine liturgy, with pontifical Vespers, and a procession of the canons. It has to be said that the music which is added by the film-maker on top of the footage is in many places extremely weird, but perhaps typical of the era. The video is not embeddable, so I can’t put it here, but you can watch it at this link: http://www.canvas.be/video/abdij-van-t-park. It will only be available for a month.
The Abbey’s website also overs a nice virtual tour of the complex, which dates back to the very beginning of the Premonstratensian order; it was founded in 1129, within St Norbert’s lifetime.
The Abbey’s website also overs a nice virtual tour of the complex, which dates back to the very beginning of the Premonstratensian order; it was founded in 1129, within St Norbert’s lifetime.
