Sint-Jansbergklooster in Halen, Belgium, is a restored castle monastery that hosts company events for 20 to 450 guests, as well as weddings and private parties. Its rooms include the Kartuizerzaal for 140 seated dinner guests, the Grote Feestzaal for 200 seated and a chapel from 1329.
Seminars and company events
The operator, The Monastery bvba, accepts company parties, product launches, seminars and meetings. The official site says the venue suits large events with 450 guests as well as discreet meetings with 20 people. A board meeting in the 14th-century chapel is also possible.
For working sessions there are dedicated meeting rooms equipped with 60-inch television screens, all the usual connections and whiteboards. The castle salons, each with its own size and character, serve as meeting rooms, reception rooms or spaces for a small gathering. The Bloemenzaal is the room named for smaller meetings.
Weddings and receptions
The monastery hosts weddings, communions, baby showers, birthday parties and family reunions. For the reception, couples can choose the Kartuizerzaal or the enclosed terrace that adjoins it, with a view of the chapel, which has been registered as national heritage since 1978. The chapel can be used for a private wedding or communion ceremony, and one of the castle salons is an alternative. The Grote Feestzaal is used for the evening party.
The lawn of the park can be set up for children with bouncy castles and entertainment. A reception inside or outside, a walking dinner, buffets or a plated dinner are all listed as possible.
Rooms and capacities
The Kartuizerzaal takes 140 people for a seated dinner or 200 for a standing reception or walking dinner. In the time of the Carthusians it served as guest quarters for travelling monks, and it keeps the original ceiling from the time of the castle lords. The English garden next to it can be used in good weather and has the same audio system as the room.
The Grote Feestzaal seats 200 guests for dinner and is also used for receptions, dance parties and seminars. It has Venetian chandeliers, a view of the second English garden and the chapel, and a modern sound system.
The chapel dates from 1329 and is the oldest part of the heritage site. It serves as a ceremony space, for receptions and for lectures. The monastery also offers a Dinner in the Chapel; contact the team for the details.
The Versailleszaal and the Katharinazaal are suited to an intimate party, a reception or a meeting. The Bloemenzaal suits smaller meetings.
Catering
The site states that the team organizes the event down to the smallest detail. It lists receptions, walking dinners, buffets and plated dinners among the formats available. The pages do not name a caterer, so ask whether catering is in-house or open to your own choice.
History and setting
The monastery complex was restored with respect for the original materials and adapted to modern needs. It lies in the Zelem area of Halen, among hundreds of hectares of green space, next to the valley of the Zwarte Beek, the largest protected nature reserve in Flanders. A bar called Bar Dehors, a page on the history of the site and a page about its conservators belong to the official website.
Getting there
The monastery is at Sint-Jansbergstraat 9, 3545 Halen. It lies 60 km from Brussels via the E40 and E314 Leuven-Lummen, and 65 km from Antwerp via the E313 and E314. From exit 25 Halen-Diest it is five minutes by road. The official pages do not list a railway station.
