Monastic life in the Land of Ravenstein
Velp, Reek, Haren
In the northeast of Brabant, along the Meuse, lay the Land of Ravenstein, a region with a remarkably rich religious history. Even before the Reformation, small monastic communities of beguines and Franciscans emerged here, living by prayer, education and care. During the sixteenth century, as the Reformation spread across the Low Countries, the religious landscape changed dramatically. In many places, churches were stripped of their images and monasteries were forced to close. But the Land of Ravenstein remained under the rule of Catholic princes from the German Palatinate of Neuburg. As a result, the Catholic faith was still permitted here and monasteries could remain or re-establish themselves. While faith was under pressure elsewhere, this region became a refuge for religious communities. In the nineteenth century, monastic life here entered a new period of growth. The monasteries in the Land of Ravenstein were home to a variety of orders and congregations, each with its own way of life and faith. The Capuchins emphasised simplicity and service; they lived modestly and close to the people. The Redemptoristines chose a contemplative life of silence and prayer, focused on inner redemption. The Jesuits were an order of education and reflection; they combined study with pastoral and missionary work and founded their novitiate Mariëndaal in Velp. The Franciscan and Augustinian sisters followed a rule based on simplicity, work and dedication to the community, rooted in the Devotio Moderna, which focused on personal faith and study. Despite their differences, their goal was the same: a life in service of God and of the people around them. From the 1960s onwards, monastic life changed rapidly. Few new vocations arose, and many of the religious’ roles were taken over by laypeople. Many monasteries found new purposes as schools, care facilities or residential buildings. While the monasteries mostly disappeared from daily life, their buildings and stories remain part of the identity of this region. This Premium Cycling Route was created by our editor: Désirée van Uffelen
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Maasbandijk 20, 6606 KE Wijchen | 51.2 KM | |
|
From
86
to
80
|
811 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head northeast on Maasbandijk | 792 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Maasbandijk | 15 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Maasbandijk | 4 M | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
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From
80
to
81
|
2397 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Maasbandijk | 4 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 1.3 KM | ||
| Make a slight left onto Maasdijk | 511 M | ||
| Keep right onto Maasdijk | 555 M | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
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From
81
to
82
|
3102 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head southeast on Maasbandijk | 3 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Sluisweg | 60 M | ||
| You are now at section 82 | 0 M | ||
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From
82
to
3
|
787 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head east on Sluisweg | 143 M | ||
| Turn right onto Graafseweg | 644 M | ||
| You are now at section 03 | 0 M | ||
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From
3
to
4
|
1538 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head north on Arnoud van Gelderweg | 175 M | ||
| Turn left onto Koninginnedijk | 854 M | ||
| Turn left onto Havenstraat | 119 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Havenstraat | 66 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ruyterstraat | 206 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oliestraat | 59 M | ||
| Turn right onto Korte Rogstraat | 52 M | ||
| Turn left onto Maasstraat | 7 M | ||
| You are now at section 04 | 0 M | ||
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From
4
to
80
|
4643 M | 4.6 KM | |
| Head west on Markt | 137 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hoofschestraat | 100 M | ||
| Turn right onto Trompetterstraat | 238 M | ||
| Turn right onto Sint Henricusweg | 7 M | ||
| Turn left onto Trompetterstraat | 46 M | ||
| Turn right onto Arnoud van Gelderweg | 4 M | ||
| Turn left onto Henri Dunantsingel | 85 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Henri Dunantsingel | 9 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Henri Dunantsingel | 135 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Hertogsgraafsingel | 217 M | ||
| Turn right onto Bikkelkampplein | 1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Basilius van Bruggelaan | 307 M | ||
| Turn left onto Pastoor Loefsweg | 140 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bronkhorstweg | 68 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hanenstraat | 304 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Pastoriestraat | 17 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hanenstraat | 199 M | ||
| Turn left onto Wolfgatschestraat | 447 M | ||
| Turn right onto Grippensteinschestraat | 503 M | ||
| Turn left onto Tolschestraat | 632 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Tolschestraat | 25 M | ||
| You are now at section 80 | 0 M | ||
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From
80
to
30
|
2333 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head south on Bosschebaan | 608 M | ||
| Turn right onto Venesteinlaan | 195 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Venesteinlaan | 1.5 KM | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
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From
30
to
27
|
1735 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head west on Nieuw Heijtmorgen | 93 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Nieuw Heijtmorgen | 112 M | ||
| Turn right onto Brouwershof | 95 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Brouwershof | 173 M | ||
| Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Kerkpad | 39 M | ||
| Exit the roundabout onto Kerkpad | 168 M | ||
| Turn left onto Langstraat | 256 M | ||
| Turn right | 13 M | ||
| Continue onto Schaijksestraat | 786 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
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From
27
to
29
|
1040 M | 1 KM | |
| Head west on Haagstraat | 127 M | ||
| Turn left | 7 M | ||
| Continue onto Kleingaalseweg | 906 M | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
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From
29
to
60
|
2033 M | 2 KM | |
| Head north on Scheisestraat | 419 M | ||
| Turn right onto Haagstraat | 31 M | ||
| Turn left | 22 M | ||
| Turn left onto Haagstraat | 35 M | ||
| Continue onto Pastoor van Winkelstraat | 1.5 KM | ||
| You are now at section 60 | 0 M | ||
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From
60
to
62
|
264 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on Runstraat | 264 M | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
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From
62
to
59
|
1964 M | 2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Zustersstraat | 138 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Zustersstraat | 31 M | ||
| Turn right onto Molengraaf | 372 M | ||
| Turn left onto 't Oliemeulen | 715 M | ||
| Turn right onto Middelstraat | 104 M | ||
| Turn left onto Herpensepad | 604 M | ||
| You are now at section 59 | 0 M | ||
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From
59
to
61
|
2295 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head west on Erfdijk | 20 M | ||
| Turn right onto Heuvelstraat | 190 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Heuvelstraat | 253 M | ||
| Turn right onto Aalstvoortsestraat | 679 M | ||
| Turn right onto Rogstraat | 481 M | ||
| Continue onto Sint Sebastianusstraat; St. Sebastianusstraat | 348 M | ||
| Continue straight | 324 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M | ||
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From
61
to
18
|
3098 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head northeast | 508 M | ||
| Turn left | 27 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hamstraat | 30 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Hamstraat | 741 M | ||
| Turn right onto Grotestraat | 605 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Gansheuvel | 212 M | ||
| Turn right onto Schaafdries | 113 M | ||
| Continue straight | 53 M | ||
| Turn left | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Monseigneur Zwijsenstraat; Mgr. Zwijsenstraat | 66 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Monseigneur Zwijsenstraat; Mgr. Zwijsenstraat | 192 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Contre Escarpe | 44 M | ||
| Turn left onto Landpoortstraat | 195 M | ||
| Turn left onto Winkelstraat | 15 M | ||
| Continue right onto Marktstraat | 35 M | ||
| Turn left onto Sint Luciastraat; St. Luciastraat | 151 M | ||
| Turn right onto Van Coothweg | 103 M | ||
| You are now at section 18 | 0 M | ||
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From
18
to
42
|
2789 M | 2.8 KM | |
| Head southwest on Van Coothweg | 149 M | ||
| Continue onto Philips van Kleefpad | 169 M | ||
| Turn left onto 't Laantje | 20 M | ||
| Turn right onto Stationssingel | 765 M | ||
| Turn right | 11 M | ||
| Turn right | 4 M | ||
| Turn left | 38 M | ||
| Turn right onto Stationspad | 321 M | ||
| Turn left onto De Rijt | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 42 | 0 M | ||
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From
42
to
16
|
2648 M | 2.6 KM | |
| Head west on De Rijt | 42 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Bredestraat | 2.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 16 | 0 M | ||
|
From
16
to
15
|
1594 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head west on Korstestraat | 379 M | ||
| Turn right onto Waterstraat | 196 M | ||
| Turn left onto Runselstraat | 336 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hemelrijkstraat | 683 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
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From
15
to
44
|
884 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head west on Harenseweg | 99 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Harenseweg | 785 M | ||
| You are now at section 44 | 0 M | ||
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From
44
to
43
|
3461 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head northeast on Harenseweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Berghemseweg | 148 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kerkplein | 108 M | ||
| Turn left onto Groenstraat | 656 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Luensestraat | 24 M | ||
| Turn left onto Peperstraat | 210 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Peperstraat | 19 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 19 M | ||
| Turn left | 17 M | ||
| Turn left | 23 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Lietingstraat | 784 M | ||
| Turn right onto Ravensteinsedijk | 37 M | ||
| You are now at section 43 | 0 M | ||
|
From
43
to
1
|
4984 M | 5 KM | |
| Head east on Ravensteinsedijk | 650 M | ||
| Keep left onto Ravensteinsedijk | 439 M | ||
| Keep left onto Maasdijk | 1.9 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight left onto Maasdijk | 78 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 203 M | ||
| Keep right at the fork | 583 M | ||
| You are now at section 01 | 0 M | ||
|
From
1
to
73
|
744 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head northeast on Demense Veerstraat | 339 M | ||
| Take the ferry Veer Batenburg - Demen (Batenburg - Demen) | 307 M | ||
| Continue straight onto Veerstraat | 98 M | ||
| You are now at section 73 | 0 M | ||
|
From
73
to
69
|
1213 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Molendijk | 285 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Ossewaard | 25 M | ||
| Turn left | 903 M | ||
| You are now at section 69 | 0 M | ||
|
From
69
to
87
|
3691 M | 3.7 KM | |
| Head south on Rijswaard | 1.5 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Liendensedijk | 2.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 87 | 0 M | ||
|
From
87
to
86
|
1162 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Maasbandijk | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 86 | 0 M |