Abdij van Hocht

St. Agatha's Abbey of Hocht or simply Hocht Abbey, located at the place called Hocht, east of Lanaken, Belgium, was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1182. About fifty years later, it became an abbey of Cistercian nuns.

This abbey has been secularized over the centuries to become a simple convent for noble ladies. The admission criteria became progressively stricter. However, the monastic character became more and more tenuous over time, so that in 1623 a wall was erected around the abbey.

In the 18th century, the abbey took possession of the lordship of Neerharen as well as rights over many parishes.

The abbey was occupied several times by foreign troops, as in 1748, when French troops laid siege to Maastricht. The abbey-convent was abolished during the French Revolution. Its abbey palace is known today as the castle of Hocht. The whole domain is classified as national heritage of Belgium and protected.