Asserbo Charterhouse is a fortress and

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

ruin in the small town of Asserbo north of

Frederiksværk Frederiksværk is a town with a population of 12,837 (1 January 2025) in Halsnæs Municipality on Zealand in Region Hovedstaden in Denmark. History A French cannon founder, Peyrembert, received permission to build a cannon factory here. Having ...

North Zealand North Zealand, also North Sealand (), refers to the northeastern part of the Danish island of Zealand. The Danish tourist authorities have recently introduced the term Danish Riviera to cover the area in view of its increasing importance for to ...

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 ...

. The monastery was founded by Bishop Absalon in the later part of the 12th century and functioned as a short-lived

monastery. It later came under

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 ...

and parts of it under

Esrum Abbey Esrum Abbey, also Esrom Abbey ( or ), was the second Cistercian monastery founded in Denmark, located near Hillerød in Region Hovedstaden, on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (Sjælland), on the north side of the Esrum Sø (Lake Esrum) ...

and remained so until the end of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. In that period the buildings were used as a farmhouse or small manor and administered as a so-called ''Grangier'' (farmhouse and nearby buildings) by the monks of Sorø Abbey. Originally it comprised a main building, a tower with a cellar, various cellars and some

half-timbered house Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. If the struct ...

s. The buildings were founded on a structure of large bricks, known as monk bricks.Monks Bricks
Egernsund Tegl The site was surrounded by an embankment and access was only possible by a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

from the north side. In 1248 we know from written sources, that Asserbo Chartehouse had developed into a small village, the village now known as Asserbo. From the 15th century Asserbo charterhouse was leased to various noble families, until Steward of the Realm Poul Laxmand took ownership in 1490. From then on, the ownership shifted between

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

and various noble families until the start of the 18th century, when it was left to the devastating drifting sands of the time. The drifting sands and dunes were eventually stopped in the 1730s and covered by the plantation of Tisvilde Hegn (English: ''Tisvilde Fence''). The charterhouse was dug free in 1849 and the embankments were restored in 1972.

The Carthusian charterhouse

While

Eskil Eskil is a town in Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, situated on the southern shore of Lake Tuz. It is the seat of Eskil District Eskil District is a district of Aksaray Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town Eskil.< ...

archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Reformation in Denmark, Danish Reformation the centre of a great Latin (arch)bishopric, Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen in the Ch ...

, was in exile in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

he came into contact in 1156 with the Carthusians, either at the

Grande Chartreuse Grande Chartreuse () is the head monastery of the Carthusian religious order. It is located in the Chartreuse Mountains, north of the city of Grenoble, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse (Isère), France. History Originally, the c ...

or at Mont-Dieu Charterhouse, and was inspired to attempt a Carthusian foundation in Denmark. Asserbo Charterhouse, in his diocese, was the result, and appears to have been founded in 1163, although there is evidence of a Carthusian presence there from 1162. The site however proved unsuitable, and the monastery was abandoned in 1169.

References

Sources

* Aigner, Thomas, 2004: ''Monasticon cartusiense'', vol. 2 (eds. Gerhard Schlegel and James Hogg). ''Analecta cartusiana'', n° 185.2. Salzburg: Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
Asserbo
Danish Nature Agency
Asserbo Castle-ruin - ruins from the 11th century
Frederiksværk Guide
A failed monastery foundation
Gyldendals' Open Encyclopedia
Asserbo - Absalon's gift swallowed by sand
1001 stories of Denmark. Danish Agency for Culture. Carthusian monasteries in Denmark 1163 establishments in Europe 12th-century establishments in Denmark 1169 disestablishments in Europe 12th-century disestablishments in Denmark Christian monasteries established in the 1160s Buildings and structures in Gribskov Municipality {{Denmark-struct-stub