Slangerup Abbey

Last updated

Slangerup Abbey (Slangerup Kloster) was a nunnery first of Benedictine nuns, then of Cistercian nuns. It was in operation between 1170 and 1555 and was located in Slangerup, Denmark. It has left no visible remains. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Slangerup was a royal residence dating from perhaps as early as 1000. It was part residence, part farm, and enclosed so it could serve as a small fort. About 1095 King Erik Ejegod, who was born here, replaced the wooden stave church with a limestone church dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Its final dimensions were 60 meters long and 13 meters wide. The church was later enlarged to comprise a nave with two side aisles and an apse added onto the choir. It also had twin towers about 30 meters in height. [3]

In 1170 King Valdemar den Store gave the farm and church of Slangerup to a community of Benedictine nuns, to establish an abbey. [4] It was dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Nicholas at the suggestion of Absalon, Bishop of Roskilde. Valdemar moved his unmarried daughters to the abbey where they could be watched over and educated. The church became one wing of the cloister, in which the nuns were separated from the world. They had their own private entry to the choir of the church which was gated off from the rest of the congregation, who usually attended the church only on holy days. [5]

In 1187 a letter was written to Bishop Absalon, complaining that not all the nuns were "virtuous". This complaint led to the replacement of the Benedictine nuns with the new and strict Cistercian Order, which was seen as a reform. The original nuns either left or conformed to the new observance. Throughout the 13th-14th centuries, the abbey received many rental properties and gifts of money from noble families for services rendered by the nuns for recently departed family members or for burial inside the Church. They also received donations and allowances from families who sent unmarried women to live a quasi-religious life in the abbey until they married or took the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. By 1344, Princess Agnes Birgersdotter, the daughter of King Birger Magnusson and Queen Märta of Denmark, and her retinue were sent to live at Slangerup by King Erik VII. To ensure the abbey's continued existence it was given the town of Slangerup and several other large properties. [6] [7]

Dissolution

The Protestant Reformation in Denmark brought an end to the abbey at Slangerup. In 1529 the estate was given to Martin Bussert, who lost it during the Count's Feud. All religious houses were closed and became Crown property in 1536 when Denmark accepted the Smalcald Articles and officially became a Lutheran realm. Monasteries including Slangerup Abbey were secularized, with the nuns allowed to live in the former monasteries under the supervision of a secular prioress. Nobles were given the use and income of the estate with the condition that they assume responsibility for the remaining nuns. At Slangerup this arrangement lasted until 1555 when Arild Ubbe was given the estate by King Christian III. In 1559 the valuable estate and its rent properties were broken up and divided between Copenhagen Castle, the University of Copenhagen, and the town of Slangerup.

St. Nicholas' church was adjudged superfluous and demolished in 1572; the materials were used to construct St. Michael's Church (Slangerup kirke Skt. Mikaels) in Slangerup. Part of the altarpiece at St. Michael's includes the wooden altarpiece from Slangerup Abbey Church. By 1600 the entire monastic complex was completely demolished. The building materials were sold to Frederik II to be used in the construction of Frederiksborg Castle at Hillerød. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Absalon</span> Danish bishop and statesman (c. 1128–1201)

Absalon was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of Denmark in the second half of the 12th century, and was the closest advisor of King Valdemar I of Denmark. He was a key figure in the Danish policies of territorial expansion in the Baltic Sea, Europeanization in close relationship with the Holy See, and reform in the relation between the Church and the public. He combined the ideals of Gregorian Reform with loyal support of a strong monarchical power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorø</span> Town in Region Zealand, Denmark

Sorø is a town in Sorø municipality on the island of Zealand in east Denmark with a population of 8,400 (2024). It lies on the northeastern shore of Sorø Lake. The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julita Abbey</span> Medieval Cisterian monastery in Sweden

Julita Abbey was a monastery of the Cistercian monks in the parish of Julita in Oppunda Hundred, Södermanland, Sweden.

Svantepolk Knutsson was a Swedish knight and councilor. He became a wealthy feudal lord in Östergötland.

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

Antvorskov Monastery was the principal Scandinavian monastery of the Catholic Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, located about one kilometer south of the town of Slagelse on Zealand, Denmark.

Martha of Denmark was Queen of Sweden by marriage to King Birger. She was given the name Margaret at birth, but in Sweden was called Martha, and has been known to history by that name. She was regarded as a politically influential queen and an important figure in the Håtuna games and the Nyköping Banquet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia of Denmark</span> Queen consort of Sweden

Sophia of Denmark was Queen of Sweden as the consort of King Valdemar.

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

Løgum Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in the present town of Løgumkloster in North Schleswig, Denmark. In 1548, the monastery was closed down. The site is now occupied by Løgumkloster Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorø Abbey</span> Monastic house in Denmark during the Middle Ages

Sorø Abbey was the preeminent and wealthiest monastic house in all of Denmark during the Middle Ages. It was located in the town of Sorø in central Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Catherine's Priory, Roskilde</span>

St. Catherine's Priory, Roskilde was a Danish priory of Dominican friars located in Roskilde. It was established in 1231 and dissolved during the Reformation. In 1699, the private house which replaced the Priory, became the Lutheran Roskilde Adelige Jomfrukloster, a women's collegiate foundation.

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

Roskilde Abbey or Our Lady's Abbey, Roskilde, was a nunnery dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin. The abbey was located at Roskilde on the Danish island of Zealand. It was founded in the early 12th century for Benedictine nuns, but in 1177 became part of the Cistercian reform movement. The abbey was suppressed in 1536 during the Protestant Reformation in Denmark. It is now the site the Old Church of Our Lady, Roskilde .

St. Agnes' Priory was a Danish convent for women of the Dominican Order. It was situated in Roskilde and was in operation from 1264 until the Danish Reformation. .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringsted Abbey</span> Benedictine monastery in Denmark

Ringsted Abbey was one of the earliest and most influential Benedictine houses in Denmark, active from the late 11th-century until the Danish Reformation. It was located at Ringsted on the Danish island of Zealand.

Saint Canute's Abbey, Odense was a Benedictine monastery built to support the pilgrimage centre for the relics of the royal Danish martyr Saint Canute, and was the successor to the priory of St. Mary and St. Alban, Denmark's earliest monastic house. Located in Odense, it was the island of Funen's most important medieval religious institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ås Abbey</span> Cistercian monastery in Denmark

Ås Abbey was a Cistercian monastery situated near the present village of Åskloster about 14 km north of Varberg, in Varberg Municipality. It was located near the mouth of the River Viskan into the Kattegat in Halland, formerly part of Denmark but now in Sweden

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vårfruberga Abbey</span> Cistercian monastery in Sweden

Vårfruberga Abbey, previously Fogdö Abbey was a Cistercian monastery of nuns from the 12th century until 1527, situated 1 mile north-west of Strängnäs on the Fogdö peninsula in Lake Mälaren, formerly a parish, in Södermanland, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted</span> Church building in Ringsted Municipality, Denmark

St. Bendt's Church is a church in Ringsted, Denmark, which was originally part of a Benedictine monastery that burnt down in the 18th century. Built in the Romanesque style, it is the oldest brick church in Scandinavia, dating back to about 1170 when it replaced a travertine church from about 1080. It is considered to be one of Denmark's architecturally finest churches. Furthermore, it is of special historical interest as it is the first Royal church in Denmark and it houses the tombs of many of Denmark's earlier monarchs and noblemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skjalm Hvide</span> Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age

Skjalm Hvide, was the Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age (793–1066) and up to his death. Skjalm's father was Toke Trylle, whose father was Slag, based on Absalon, a medieval account scanned, translated and published by Google.

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

Gudhem Abbey is the ruin of a nunnery which was in operation from 1152 to 1529. It is located in Gudhem outside Falköping in the Falbygden area in Västergötland, Sweden. It was initially part of the Benedictine and later Cistercian order. It is considered to have been one of the oldest convents in Sweden; after Vreta Abbey (1100) and Alvastra Abbey (1143).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergen auf Rügen Abbey</span>

Bergen auf Rügen Abbey was a monastery for Cistercian nuns established on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen. It lasted from the end of the 12th century to the early 16th century as a Roman-Catholic monastery and then, until 1945, as a Protestant aristocratic nunnery.

References

  1. "Slangerup Kloster". Roskilde Historie. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  2. "Slangerup Bykommune". Kongeriget Danmark. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. "Erik Ejegod". Danmarks Historie. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. status indicated by, e.g., Esrum klosters brevbog, Bent Christensen, p. 124, Museum Tusculanum Press, 2002, ISBN   87-7289-754-6, ISBN   978-87-7289-754-7, online at google.books.co.uk
  5. "Valdemar den Store (1157-82)". Danmarkshistorien. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. "Birger". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  7. "Märta". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  8. "Slangerup kirke Skt. Mikaels historie". Slangerup kirke Skt. Mikaels. Retrieved July 1, 2020.

Other Sources

55°50′41″N12°10′09″E / 55.8447°N 12.1692°E / 55.8447; 12.1692