Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monastery founded in 1172 in the
Diocese of Aarhus
The Diocese of Aarhus (Danish language, Danish: ''Ã…rhus Stift'') is one of 10 dioceses in the Church of Denmark, with headquarters in the city of Aarhus. The diocese covers a large district of northeast Jutland and comprises 14 deanery, deanerie ...
near the town of Rye, between the lakes of Mossø and Gudensø in central Jutland,
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. It is one of many former monasteries and abbeys in the highland region of
Søhøjlandet
Søhøjlandet (English: ''The Lake-highland'') is the highest lying region in Denmark and at the same time, it has the highest density of lakes.Vitskøl Abbey
Vitskøl Abbey (; , meaning "school of life") is a former Cistercian monastery near Ranum in Himmerland in Region Nordjylland, Denmark, active from mid 12th-century until 1563, and one of the oldest existing monastic complexes in northern Europe. ...
in northern Jutland. They had first attempted to establish a house at Sabro near
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
but found the soil useless for farming. They moved to the area of the Sming forest near
Silkeborg
Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Veng Abbey, outside
Skanderborg
Skanderborg is a town in Skanderborg Municipality, Denmark. It is situated on the north and north eastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake and there are several smaller ponds and bodies of water within the city itself, like Lillesø, Sortesø, Døj S ...
, but left in 1167 because of unresolved land disputes with local landowners. They were at Kalvø in Lake Skanderborg for four years, but the winters proved too harsh. The monks finally settled on a patch of land in the parish of Gammel Rye between the lakes Mossø and Gudensø, surrounded by water and marshlands.
Bishop Svend of Aarhus transferred many of his own holdings to Øm Abbey and then retired there. He was buried in front of the high altar. Abbot Michael, the twelfth abbot, was buried in the chapter room in the unfinished church. Bishop Peder Elafssen of Aarhus was buried in the church in 1246, one year before it was completed.
One event which caused trouble for Øm Abbey was the suspicion that the monks harbored Abbot Arnfast of Ryd Abbey who was accused of having murdered King
Christopher I of Denmark
Christopher I () (1219 – 29 May 1259) was King of Denmark between 1252 and 1259. He was the son of Valdemar II of Denmark by his second wife, Berengaria of Portugal. He succeeded his brothers Eric IV of Denmark, Eric IV Plovpenning and Abel of D ...
by giving him poisoned communion wine during mass at
Ribe Cathedral
Ribe Cathedral or Our Lady Maria Cathedral ( or ''Vor Frue Maria Domkirke'') is located in the ancient city of Ribe, on the west coast of southern Jutland, Denmark. It was founded in the Viking Age as the first Christian church in Denmark by Ansgar ...
in 1259. Abbot Arnfast was supposed to have poisoned the king for his persecution of Archbishop Jacob Erlandsen. A thorough search failed to produce Arnfast, who had fled the country. Christopher's son, King Eric V had the Cistercians banished.
In 1260 King Christopher's widow Dowager Queen
Margaret Sambiria
Margaret Sambiria (, ' or '; c. 1230 – December 1282) was Queen of Denmark by marriage to King Christopher I, and regent during the minority of her son, King Eric V from 1259 until 1264. She is the first woman confirmed to have formally rule ...
stayed at the abbey for two days with an army of 1,600 knights. The chronicle bemoans the heavy cost of such a royal visit.
The next two Bishops of Aarhus, Tyge and Peder, reclaimed some of the properties given by earlier bishops. They also claimed the right of hospitality at the abbey for themselves and their followers, which angered the monks. The Cistercians continued to support Jacob Erlandsen, Archbishop of Lund in his struggle with King
Eric V of Denmark
Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, ...
.
At its height in the late 15th century, the abbey consisted of the church, hospital, hospital cemetery, library, chapter house, refectory, dormitory, cloister and cloister garden, and a guest house. The abbey measured approximately 120 meters by 80 meters. It was one of Denmark's richest houses with land holdings, mills, and a well-recognized hospital.
The abbey prospered especially during and after the reign of Queen
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I (; March 1353 – 28 October 1412) was Queen regnant of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (which included Finland) from the late 1380s until her death, and the founder of the Kalmar Union that joined the Scandinavian kingdoms together for ...
. By 1510 the abbey owned 250 properties all over central Jutland.
Dissolution
The
Reformation in Denmark
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
brought about the end of the abbey. When Denmark became officially
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
in 1536, the abbey was allowed to continue operating with the monks already there, but no new monks were to be admitted. In 1560 the last monk was moved to
Sorø Abbey
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.
After Denmark became Lutheran in 1536, the abbey was confiscated by the Crown. The ...
on
Zealand
Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
, and the land and buildings became crown property under Frederik II. Just a year later, in 1561, Frederik II ordered the buildings to be demolished, and the stone, timber, and bricks used to extend Skanderborg Castle. The land on which the abbey had been located, was divided into four large estates in 1571.
Øm Abbey today
The village of Emborg now surrounds the former site of the former abbey. Øm Kloster Museum, part of the
National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark, Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from S ...
system, now manages the monastic patrimony of the place. Ruins of the church and the chapter hall are visible, and there exists an exhibit for visitors.
Museum Tusculanum Press
Museum Tusculanum Press (Danish: ''Museum Tusculanums Forlag'') is an independent academic press historically associated with the University of Copenhagen, publishing mainly in the humanities, social sciences and theology. It was founded in 1975 as ...