Gempe
Title
Gempe
Also Known As
Genepa, Gheenpa, Ghempa, Ghempe, Ghenepa, Ghennepa, Ghenpa, Guvens, Ile-Duc, Insula Ducis, Tshertogeneylandt
Dates
Founded 1219; dissolved 1790s
Dedication
John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Mary
Affiliation
Medieval Diocese
Circary
History
According to tradition, the community of Gempe was founded in 1219 by the knight Renier van Udekem, who turned his castle at Pellenberg into a monastery in order to accommodate his eight daughters. The abbey of Park opposed this because of Pellenberg's proximity to Park, which was in contravention of the order's statutes.
Hendrik I, duke of Brabant, ensured the community's survival by giving it property and rights in Gempe. The sisters moved there in 1229.
Gempe's priory church was consecrated in 1260. The community was dissolved in the 1790s. The property was sold and much of the monastic complex was demolished.
Hendrik I, duke of Brabant, ensured the community's survival by giving it property and rights in Gempe. The sisters moved there in 1229.
Gempe's priory church was consecrated in 1260. The community was dissolved in the 1790s. The property was sold and much of the monastic complex was demolished.
Heads of Community
Prioresses
Isabelle (or Elisabeth) van Corbeeck-Loo, fl. 1219
Helwig van Udekem, fl. 1260
Agnes, fl. 1387
Catherine van der Hofstadt, fl. 1405
Yda I van Borthoudt, fl. 1432
Anne, fl. 1451
Elisabeth van Belande, 1461-1467
Yda II van Suetendaele, 1476-1481
Maria I Madoets, fl. 1494
Maria II de Eertryck, fl. 1509
Margaretha Crabbe, fl. 1531
Isabelle (or Elisabeth) van Corbeeck-Loo, fl. 1219
Helwig van Udekem, fl. 1260
Agnes, fl. 1387
Catherine van der Hofstadt, fl. 1405
Yda I van Borthoudt, fl. 1432
Anne, fl. 1451
Elisabeth van Belande, 1461-1467
Yda II van Suetendaele, 1476-1481
Maria I Madoets, fl. 1494
Maria II de Eertryck, fl. 1509
Margaretha Crabbe, fl. 1531
Status
Women's community
Reference
Bibliography
Claes, Frans M. W. “De eerste priorin van de Nobertinessen in Pellenberg en Gempe.” Oost-Brabant 32 (1995): 75–76.
Erens, Ambrosius. “Drie Vititatieverorderningen voor het Norbertinessenklooster te Gemp.” Analecta Praemonstratensia 10 (1934): 114–23.
Lani, Stefan van. “Administratie en archief van het voormalig Nobertijnenklooster van Gempe ('s-Hertogenbosch) in Sint-Joris-Winge. Een lang en eeuwenoud verhaal.” Analecta Praemonstratensia 73 (1997): 48–74.
———. “Het voormalige Norbertinessenklooster van Gempe ('s Hertogeneiland) in Sint-Joris-Winge.” In Zusterkloosters in de Premonstratenzer Orde, edited by Herman Janssens, 67–73. Bijdragen van de contactdag 25. Averbode: Abdij Averbode, 2015.
Neefs, Emmanuel. Le monastère de l’Ile-Duc à Gempe, Louvain. Louvain: Peeters, 1867. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nnc1.0035538201.
Noppen, C. “Het Klooster te Gempe volgens een cijnsrol van 1317.” Meer schoonheid : tijdschrift voor heem-, kunst- en natuurschoon, 1958.
———. “Het Klooster te Gempe volgens een cijnsrol van 1317.” Meer schoonheid : tijdschrift voor heem-, kunst- en natuurschoon, 1958.
Steenberghen, Jean. “Bijdrage tot de agrarische Geschiedenis van het Klooster van ’s Hertogen Eiland te Gempe.” Thesis, KU Leuven, 1981.
Troostembergh, Max de. “Les Chartes de l’Ile-Duc à Gempe.” Analectes de l’Ordre de Prémontré 1 (1905): 1–46.
Image Credit
The monastery of Gempe, ca. 1704. Wikimedia.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Gempe,” A Premonstratensian Atlas, accessed October 16, 2026, https://yvonneseale.org/atlas/items/show/278.