On the heart of the forest, at the edge of the Semois, stands the ancient priory.
In 1694, the monks established there a study and rest house. They built the priory and its church was blessed in 1718.
The Orval property was mostly composed with almost all of the ancient meander of the Semois. It formed an enclave in the property of Prince of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort. It is still possible to discover numerous milestones made by Jurassic sandstones. Those milestones show the old borderline between the property of Orval and the ones of the Prince of Rochefort. The abbey cross is engraved in the millstones on the Orval side and the letter “R” is engraved on the side that used to be the property of the Rochefort's prince. Nowadays all the meander's outside circumference belongs to the federal forest of Conque-Sainte-Cécile. Today the all site is listed by the Commission of monuments and sites.
Walking along the Semois towards Sainte-Cécile, you can observe, on the river, a barrage which has been erected by the monks. This barrage is named « Vanne des Moines ». This work, which is made by big schist blocks, has been restored in the years 80. The location is beautiful.
