St Bernard laid the abbey's foundations in 1147, but the church and cloister were only built from 1198 to 1209. It was ransacked by Spaniards and local revolts in the 16C, then enclosed within fortifications in 1587. In 1789, the Austrians pillaged t..

In this church, note the two fine 15C and 16C Brabant altarpieces , a 17C pulpit, a Christ Entombed from 1607, portraits of Villers abbots and the 17C funerary monument of the lords of Marbais. The eleven modern stained-glass windows are by F. Crick..