Amidst an oasis of peace and green surroundings, and only a few minutes away from the cathedral, lies a unique relic of the past of Ghent. At the confluence of the rivers Lys and Scheldt the ruins of the former Saint Bavo's Abbey can be found. The abbey was founded in the 7th century by Amandus, a missionary from Aquitania who came to christianize the region. The abbey would grow to one of the most powerful in Flanders. Some years after the founding, a nobleman entered the Gandacloister and took the name Bavo. After his death in ... (more)