Tongerlo Abbey Church

Abdijstraat 40, Tongerlo

The mighty Tongerlo Abbey not only dominates the landscape, it is also home to two monumental paintings by the Flemish master Jan Erasmus Quellinus and the ultimate replica of Da Vinci's Last Supper.

Tongerlo Abbey Church

The neo-Gothic church, dating back to the 1850s, with its high, white interior is the centre of the abbey, where the Premonstratensian community celebrates liturgy every day. Since 2023 it has been the new home of a copy of the Last Supper, which Da Vinci painted in the refectory of the Dominican monastery at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan in the late 15th century. The painting in Tongerlo, covering almost 34 m², is said to have been created by his apprentice Andrea Solario, under Da Vinci's supervision. According to some experts, it is the ultimate replica of the fading original.

The Last Supper

The presence of the beautifully executed replica after Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper is truly awe inspiring. The masterpiece was purchased at auction in Antwerp in 1545 by the abbot of Tongerlo Abbey. The Low Countries were under the spell of the Flemish Primitives and Gothic style during this period, which makes the focus on the Renaissance masterpiece and the abbot’s choice quite extraordinary. It is not known why he chose this picture to hang in the abbey. The creator of the work also raises questions; according to the art historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts, Andrea Solario (1460-1524) a student of Da Vinci, would have created the work in collaboration with the master and his fellow artists. It remains a topic of debate among art historians. Nevertheless, the artwork continues to inspire, the facial expressions and action of the hands creating a dynamic playfulness. The elaboration of the snapshot depicting turmoil and chaos when Jesus announced that he will be betrayed by one of his disciples has also been brilliantly executed.

Jesus at the Meal of Simon the Pharisee and The Marriage at Cana

Commissioned by Abbot Crils, Jan Erasmus Quellinus painted two giant canvases for the monastery refectory around 1682. Jesus at the Meal of Simon the Pharisee is set within a grandiose architectural setting. The Marriage at Cana is more transparent. The composition focuses on an almost blank central point, furnished with just a few pitchers. Quellinus was inspired by both the highly detailed paintings of Paolo Veronese and the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. The latter harked back to the architecture of antiquity.

Jezus te gast bij Simon de farizeeër van Jan Erasmus Quellinus

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Gershowitz (CC Wikimedia)

Hugo Dillen (CC Wikimedia)

Practical information

Address

Abdijstraat 40

2260 Tongerlo

Belgium

View directions

Opening hours

In winter the courtyard is open Monday to Sunday from 06.00 to 21.00 hrs. In summer from 06.00 to 22.00 hrs.
The abbey church is open Monday to Sunday from 06.00 to 11.15 hrs and from 12.30 to 18.00 hrs.
On Sundays and public holidays the church is open between 10:15 and 12.30 hrs for worship services only.