Mont des Cats
Mont des Cats is a small hill (alt. 164m) near the town of Godewaersvelde, in French Flanders. Its name in Dutch is Katsberg. It is the seat of an abbey [1] bearing the same name, famous for the cheese produced by the monks since 1890.
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On top of the hill there is an antenna that reaches a height of 364m and transmits both television and radio signals:
- it emits FM at 500 W
- and has 3 x UHF 80kW emitters for television
The antenna provides part of the Nord Pas de Calais digital television (DTT).
The traditional feast of Saint-Hubert is held on the third Sunday in October.
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[edit] Origin of the name
The name has nothing to do with cats, but is derived from the name of a Germanic tribe known as Chatti (French: Chattes; Dutch; Chatten), living in the area after the fall of the Roman Empire (5th century). The Dutch name is supposed to be also the root for the name of the town Katwijk.[2]
[edit] Mont des Cats Abbey
A first community of the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony was settled in 1650 and lasted until the French Revolution which closed the monastery in 1792. In 1826, a new community of Trappists (Reformed Cistercians) was funded, and this congregation has run the abbey ever since.
[edit] Mont des Cats cheese
Mont des Cats cheese has been produced by the monks since 1890 with the milk of local farms, in a small independent dairy. The production method are similar to those used for Port-salut. Affinage (maturing) takes a minimum of one month and during this period the cheese is washed in salted water and dyed with roucou, a reddish derivative from annatto seeds. The texture of the cheese is firm, uncooked, pressed and has small holes. The fat content is 50%. In Flanders it is sometimes eaten as a breakfast cheese with coffee.
[edit] See also
Mont des Cats has inspired the name of the software company Mondeca.
[edit] References
- ^ Abbaye du Mont des Cats
- ^ History of Mont des Cats on abbey website
