From the beginning the abbey was occupied by "Victorines" or
Canonesses Regular of St. Victor who lived by the
Rule of St. Augustine. In the 1970s, with the number of vocations in Flanders reducing, the Victorine community was merged with a group of
Franciscan sisters, and Roosenberg should now be regarded as a Franciscan community.
First site The original
Roosenberg Abbey was founded in 1237–38 on the banks of the . Its establishment was mandated by , Bishop of
Tournai, and it was from Tournai that the founding group of canonesses was sent. It is noted by contemporary sources that the Bishop was also inspired by
Francis of Assisi whom he had evidently met in connection with the
Fifth Crusade.
Third site Agreeing to
the bishop's request to merge with a Franciscan community as a response to a falling-off in vocations gave rise to the need for a new site. In 1975 Roosenberg moved to its present site along the "Oudeheerweg-Heide" road. The unapologetically functional building is the work of the
Benedictine architect,
Hans van der Laan. The abbey is open to individuals and groups wishing to deepen their Christian belief and in search of contemplative silence. ==References==