Halsted Priory

Last updated
Halsted Priory
Halsted Kloster
Halsted Klosters bygninger.jpg
Halsted Priory in 2020
Halsted Priory
General information
Architectural style Gothic Revival
LocationNykøbingvej 8,
4300 Holbæk
Country Denmark
Coordinates 54°50′48.26″N11°13′31.18″E / 54.8467389°N 11.2253278°E / 54.8467389; 11.2253278
Completed1849

Halsted Priory (Danish: Halsted Kloster), formerly a small Benedictine house, is a manor house and estate located close to Nakskov on the island of Lolland in southeastern Denmark. The estate was renamed Juellinge when the Barony of Juellinge was restored for Jens Juel-Vind in 1721, but its old name was restored when the barony was dissolved in 1921. Holsted Priory is still owned by the Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs family. The Neo-Gothic main building is from 1847-49. It is flanked by Halsted Church to the north and the old main building from 1591 to the south. The old main building has been renovated with support from Realdania and is now operated as a local cultural centre. The Baroque-style park covers approximately 6.5 hectares of land. The estate is also home to a golf club. [1]

Contents

History

The Benedictine priory

Halsted Priory is a crown property dating from the Viking era. A granite parish church was built on the site in the 12th century. A papal recognition of the priory was written in 1177. Halsted is next mentioned by name in Valdemar Sejr's 1231 Danish Census Book. Erik Plovpenny's daughter Jutta came into possession of Halsted in 1284 but unexpectedly died the same year. She willed it to the abbot of the Benedictine priory in Ringsted. The existing church at Halsted was constructed around the earlier church in conjunction with the building of the daughter monastery which was dedicated to St. Samson the Breton. The church became a pilgrimage site for commoners and royals alike for the veneration of St. Samson, because the church had a reliquary with his head in it.

The priory was built in a roughly rectangular shape with space for a dormitory, refectory, kitchens, storage, cellars, and space for lay brothers. No contemporary description of Halsted Priory survives. Given the time period in which it was built, it can safely be said that the buildings were built in Gothic style out of brick as evidenced by the church which still stands today. The interior spaces had vaulted roofs. Halsted was a small house, but must have had at least a few income properties; these would normally have been gifted or willed to a monastery in return for prayers for the souls of the recently departed.

The only historical event known to involve the priory was when Prince Erik, the son of Christoffer II, lay at Halsted for 14 days before being moved to his final resting place at Sorø Abbey.

In 1510, the Hanseatic League sacked nearby Nakskov and then sailed up the fjord to Halsted, where they set fire to the priory and both the east and west ranges. The priory was restored and was made an abbey, but the winds of change were blowing in Denmark and would within a decade empty the priory permanently. The last abbot of Halsted, Jens Fugl, was installed in circa 1520. The priory archives were entirely lost; the only remaining document today is a single letter of indulgence dated 1517.

By the 1520s many Danes were extremely unhappy with the financial burdens the Catholic church imposed on them. In addition to forced payment of tithes and fees for every conceivable service, peasant tenants were also required to work fields and farms owned by the many religious institutions that were a part of everyday life in Denmark at the time. Christian II, Denmark's last Catholic king, was exiled, leaving Frederick I on the throne. Frederik attempted to find a middle ground between the newly fervent Lutherans and the fiercely traditional Catholics. Funds used to support small religious houses like Halsted simply evaporated. Being a daughter house made the priory vulnerable to funding cuts, and it was impossible for the small, out-of-the-way priory to continue operating. Denmark became Lutheran in October 1536 under Christian III. Halsted was permitted to keep its monks until 1537, when the priory reverted to the crown.

Crown property

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Gustrow for whom the old main building was constructed Sophiemecklenburgdenmark.jpg
Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow for whom the old main building was constructed

After it returned to the crown, the abbey became a royal fief. The first lensmand was Otte Rathlou, who had supported Christian III economically during the Count's Feud. Later vassals included Peder Oxe, Jørgen Grubbe and Erik Rosenkrantz.

From 1588 to 1631, Halsted Kloster served as the life estate for dowager queen Sophie. She resided at nearby Nykøbing Castle, but she expanded the priory complex in 1591 with a new main building, including a grand staircase and prison tower. From 1647 to 1652, Halsted Kloster served as life estate for Princess Magdalene Sybille. From 1670 to 1685, Halsted Kloster and the crown land on Falster served as life estate for dowager queen Sophie Amalie.

The Juel family

Jens Juel-Vind Jens Juel-Vind.jpg
Jens Juel-Vind

In 1719, Frederik IV ceded Halsted Kloster to Jens Juel-Vind in exchange for Juellinge on Zealand. The older buildings were in sad disrepair, as noted in a crown inventory. In 1721, the estate was renamed Juellinge and becamer the administrative centre of the Barony of Juellinge.

Sophie Magdalene Gram's monogram on the font in Halsted Church. Sophie Magdalene Grams monogram.jpg
Sophie Magdalene Gram's monogram on the font in Halsted Church.

After Jens Juel-Vind's death in 1726, Juellinge was passed to his son Jens Krag-Juel-Vind. In 1738, he also inherited stamhuset Stensballegaard from his mother Ida Helle Margrethe Krag's side. After Jens Krag-Juel-Vind's death in 1776, Juellinge and Stensballegaard were passed on to his son Frederik Carl Krag-Juel-Vind. He added -Friis to his name when he inherited Frijsenborg following his mother Sophie Magdalene von Grams's death in 1810.

After Frederik Carl Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs' death in 1815, Frijsenborg was passed on to his eldest son while the Barony of Juellinge was taken over by his younger son Carl Ludvig Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs. In 1816, he was granted royal permission to use the title of count in spite of the fact that Juellinges was a barony.

Gerdinand Richardt: Juellinge /1845( Jullinge. (Halsted Kloster) 1745.jpg
Gerdinand Richardt: Juellinge /1845(

Carl Ludvig Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs died without children in 1838. Juellinge was therefore endowed to his nephew, Frederik Julius Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs.

In 1921, the barony was dissolved as a result of the lensafløsningslov of 1919; the name was changed back to Halsted Kloster in 1922. [2] Part of the land was laid out as a golf course in the 1980s.

Architecture

Building Halsted Kloster.jpg
Building

The modern building called Halsted Priory was constructed in 1847–49 with Gothic elements to recall the original building on the site.

Juellinge was sold by the Juel Vind family in 1921 and the name Halsted Priory was restored to the property. Only the church remains of the old monastery complex. It the oldest remaining church on Lolland.

Today

The estate has a total area of 2,347 hectares; of these, 313 hectares belong to the manor. Of the remainder, 1,105 hectares are farmland, 1170 hectares are woodland and 72 hectares are used for other purposes.

The Baroque-style park is open to the public from April through September.

List of owners

Related Research Articles

Jens Juel may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danneskiold-Samsøe</span> Danish noble family

The House of Danneskiold-Samsøe is a Danish family of high nobility associated with the Danish Royal Family, and who formerly held the island of Samsø as a fief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Court (Denmark)</span>

The Supreme Court is the supreme court and the third and final instance in all civil and criminal cases in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is based at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen which also houses the Danish Parliament and the Prime Minister's office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia Magdalena Krag-Juel Vind</span>

Sophia Magdalena Krag-Juel Vind, née von Gram (1734–1810), was a Danish Salon holder, landowner and noble. She is considered to have exerted considerable political influence in Danish politics during the late 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederik Krag</span>

Frederik Krag was a Danish nobleman (Baron) and senior civil servant who served kings Frederick IV and Frederick V. He was the Governor-General of Norway, from 1713 until 1722. He is not fondly remembered in Norway due to his attempts to subordinate the farmers there in a similar level of service to that which was common in Denmark of the period.

Events from the year 1776 in Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudbjerggaard</span> Manor house in Denmark

Rudbjerggaard, situated 7 km south of Nakskov, is the only half-timbered manor house on the island of Lolland in south-eastern Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barchmann Mansion</span>

Barchmann Mansion is a Baroque style town mansion overlooking Frederiksholm Canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Built in the early 1740s to designs by Philip de Lange, it is also known as the Wedell Mansion after the current owner. It was listed in the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1918. An extension from 1748 is now home to Johan Borup's Folk High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halsted Church</span> Church in Lolland, Denmark

Halsted Church stands in the little village of Halsted some 6 km east of Nakskov on the Danish island of Lolland. Dating from the second half of the 12th century, the church has a Romanesque chancel and nave, a large burial chapel from 1636 and a tower from 1877. The church was closely associated with Halsted Priory, which has not survived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avnede Church</span> Church in Lolland, Denmark

Avnede Church is a Gothic church located some 7 km (4.3 mi) southeast of Nakskov on the Danish island of Lolland. Frescos discovered on the chancel arch during repairs in 2009 are now being restored by the National Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frijsenborg</span>

Frijsenborg is a manor house and estate near Hammel, 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Aarhus in Jutland, Denmark. The first manor on the site known as Jernit was built by Valdemar Parberg in 1583. After the statesman Mogens Friis acquired the property in 1672, the manor was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century. In the 1860s, it was considerably expanded and redesigned in the Renaissance style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pederstrup</span> Manor house in Denmark

Pederstrup is a historic manor house located 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Nakskov on the Danish island of Lolland. The half-timbered building from 1686 was rebuilt from 1813 to 1822 in the Neoclassical style by the statesman Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow. Since 1940, it has housed the Reventlow Museum.

The surname Krag may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juellinge</span>

Juellinge, prior to 1672 known as Valbygaard, is a manor house located on the Stevns Peninsula, Stevns Municipality, some 50 kilometres south of Copenhagen, Denmark. The Baroque-style main building and two buildings from the beginning of the 19th century have been listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places by the Danish Heritage Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jens Juel-Vind</span>

Jens Juel-Vind, baron of Juellinge, was a Danish chamberlain and landowner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jens Krag-Juel-Vind</span>

Jens Krag-Juel-Vind, Baron of Juellinge, was a Danish nobleman, Supreme Court justice and landowner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sæbyholm</span>

Sæbyholm was a manor house located close to Maribo on the island of Lolland in southeastern Denmark. The estate was acquired byChristian Heinrich August Hardenberg-Reventlow of Krenkerup in 1801 and has been owned by his descendants since then. The three-winged main building and the home farm were listed on the Danish registry of protected buildings and places in 1960. The buildings were delisted in 2012 and demolished in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianssæde</span> Danish historic manor house

Christianssæde is a manor house and estate located close to Maribo on the island of Lolland in southeastern Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fredsholm</span> Manor house near Nakskov, Denmark

Fredsholm is a manor house and estate located close to Nakskov on the island of Lolland in southeastern Denmark. Fredsholm and Rudbjerggaard had the same owners in the period 1674–1819.

Vind is a Danish surname meaning wind. Notable people with this surname include:

References

  1. "Historie". Halsted Kloster Golfklub. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  2. "Halsted Kloster: Ejerhistorie". danskeherregaarde.dk. Retrieved 20 October 2018.

Further reading