Editing Villers-la-Ville (section)

=== Decline and Challenges ===
The abbey began to face challenges in the 16th century, tied to the larger troubles of the Low Countries. Spanish tercios caused considerable damage to the church and cloister during the campaign of 1544. Although partially restored in 1587, the abbey’s fortunes continued to diminish in the 17th and 18th centuries1. The number of monks and the abbey’s wealth dwindled, and it was finally abandoned in 1796 following the French Revolution.