Esrum Abbey
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Esrum Abbey, also Esrom Abbey ( or ), was the second
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
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 ...
, located near
Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Region Hovedstaden The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...
, on the island of
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 ...
(Sjælland), on the north side of the Esrum Sø (
Lake Esrum Lake Esrum (, ) is the largest lake in Denmark by water volume and the second-largest lake by surface area, after lake Arresø. It is situated in the central part of North Zealand (the northeastern region of Zealand), straddling the boundaries of ...
) near
Esbønderup Esbønderup is a parish and small town situated north of Lake Esrum in Gribskov Municipality, North Zealand. some north of Copenhagen, Denmark. As of 1 January 2025, it had a population of 1,413. History The name is known from 1178 as ''Esbiornst ...
and
Græsted Græsted is one of the main towns of the Gribskov municipality in the Danish Region Hovedstaden. The town is in northern Sjælland, just south of Gilleleje, and has a population of 3,662 (1 January 2025). The whole of Græsted Parish had 4769 in ...
.


History


Monastery

Esrum Abbey began as a
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
foundation, perhaps in about 1140, and was built near a pre-Christian religious site, later called Esrum Spring, where a small wooden stave chapel may have existed before the abbey was established. The foundation was taken over by the Cistercians in 1151 with the approval of Archbishop
Eskil of Lund Eskil was a 12th-century Archbishop of Lund, in Skåne, Denmark (now in Sweden). He was one of the most capable and prominent princes of the Church in Scandinavia. A man of profound piety, he was always zealous for the welfare of the church, and ...
. It was then counted as a daughter house of Clairvaux. Esrum in its turn became the mother house of a number of other important Cistercian foundations:
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. ...
and
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 ...
in Denmark;
Ryd Abbey Ryd Abbey or Rüde Abbey (; ; ) was a Cistercian monastery in Munkbrarup that formerly occupied the present site of Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg on the Flensburg Fjord in the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. His ...
, now in
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
; and
Kołbacz Abbey The Kołbacz Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery located in Kołbacz, Poland, listed as a Historic Monument of Poland. It had several subsidiaries, with the other main centers located in Oliwa, Bierzwnik, and Mironice. It was itself a subs ...
near
Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
. Monks from Esrum also founded
Dargun Abbey Dargun Palace, previously Dargun Abbey (, ''Kloster Dargun''), was a Cistercian monastery in Dargun, Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (district), Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, in the former Grand Duchy of Mecklenbu ...
in
Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
in 1172, but abandoned it after hostile military action in 1198, and the later history of Dargun rests on its re-foundation in 1208 from
Doberan Abbey Doberan Abbey (''Kloster Doberan'') is a former Cistercian monastery in Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The Brick Gothic church continues in use as Doberan Minster (''Doberaner Münster''). After the conversion to Christianity o ...
. The former community from Dargun went on however to found
Eldena Abbey Eldena Abbey (), originally Hilda Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Only ruins survive, which are well known as a frequent subject of Caspar David Friedrich's paintin ...
. Esrum Abbey burned down in 1194 and again in 1204, resulting in the construction of a new church – a three-aisled
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
with transepts and a rectangular
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
– and a monastery built of red brick, the most common building material of the time in the region. In 1355 the Queen,
Helvig of Schleswig Helvig of Schleswig (also erroneously Hedwig; 1320–1374) was the queen of Denmark as the spouse of King Valdemar IV. She was the mother of Queen Margaret I of Denmark. Life Helvig was the daughter of Eric II, Duke of Schleswig, and Adelaid ...
, consort of King
Valdemar IV of Denmark Valdemar IV Atterdag, Valdemar Christoffersen or Waldemar (24 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance wars under previous rul ...
(''Valdemar Atterdag''), became a lay sister at Esrum after being supplanted by King Valdemar's mistress, Tove. The queen was buried in the abbey church, which brought royal gifts of property for the abbey. Her daughter,
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 ...
, continued Esrum's royal patronage, which attracted increased benefactions from other noble families on Zealand.


Codex Esromensis

A transcript of a collection of papers of the abbey between 1374 and 1497, consisting mostly of letters, has been preserved in
Det Kongelige Bibliotek The Royal Library () in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the academic library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries. In 2017, it merged with the ...
as the "Codex Esromensis" ().


Dissolution and after

Denmark became
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 with the adoption of the by the king and State Council. As a result, Esrum became a crown estate. It was allowed to continue to function as a monastery until 1559, when the remaining 11 monks and the abbot were sent 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 ...
. The buildings at Esrum were then largely dismantled for building materials, apparently for use at
Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
to which the abbey estate was given. In the 17th century the remaining structures were converted into a hunting lodge for the king and his courtiers, and the site was also used as a
stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud (animal), stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, ...
until 1717, after which it became a barracks for
dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
s until 1746. From then on the buildings were used for a variety of military and civil administrative offices, becoming the property of the local government administration of
Frederiksborg Amt Frederiksborg County () is a former county ( Danish: '' amt'') in the north of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Effective January 1, 2007, the county was abolished and merged into Region Hovedstaden The Capital Region of Denmark (, ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the site was temporarily used as a secure storage site for the
Danish National Archives The Danish National Archives () is the national archive system of Denmark. Its primary purpose is to collect, preserve and archive historically valuable records from central authorities, such as ministries, agencies and national organisations and ...
. Immediately after the war, it was used to house
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
n refugees.


Present-day

The site and structures were thoroughly restored in 1996. The surviving buildings – the south wing of the conventual buildings and a watermill – have received protected status as a national historic monument and are now used as a museum and a school for the study of nature and the environment. A number of other leisure facilities and activities are also provided, including medieval re-enactments.


Legends

A number of legends survive concerning the abbey.


Brother Daniel

One, about Brother Daniel, a monk at Esrum, illustrates the connection between religious houses. Brother Daniel fell ill and sent word to Abbot Vilhelm of
Æbelholt Abbey Æbelholt Abbey () was an Augustinian monastery situated at Tjæreby in Hillerød municipality in North Zealand, Denmark. History William of Æbelholt The monastery was first established on Eskilsø Island in Roskilde Fjord in 1104. ...
. Abbot Vilhelm laid his hand upon Daniel and told him to drink from the sacred spring at Esrum by which Daniel was healed. Thereafter the spring was believed to have healing power, especially for gout, rashes, and headaches.


Brother Rus

Another well-known legend from Esrum is the story of Brother Rus, a disguise Satan took in order to infiltrate the abbey as its cook. He ingratiated himself with the monks by bringing women into the monastic enclosure and serving the brothers meat.


King Valdemar

Another story is that Esrum Abbey came into conflict with King
Valdemar I Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...
, who, in order to complete the construction of
Gurre Castle Gurre Castle () was a royal castle situated in North Zealand, Denmark. Its ruins lie on the outskirts of Helsingør, close to the town of Tikøb on lake Gurre Sø at Gurre, Denmark, Gurre. The ruins have been excavated and are now restored. His ...
, forced the monks at Esrum to work as construction labourers, much to the abbot's disapproval. When Valdemar died in that castle, his soul was condemned to hunt forever through the fields round about.


Cheese

The cheese known as Esrum or Esrom is named after this monastery.


Notes and references


Other sources

*Andreas Christian Anton Kierulf (1838) ''Esrom Klosters Historie'' (Kjøbenhavn, Reitzel)


External links


Esrum Kloster official website



''Esrum Abbey - in: CISTOPEDIA - Encyclopædia Cisterciensis''


Further reading

* Hjortlund/Thomsen/Jørgensen, 1992: ''Esrum Kloster'' * Elverskov/Jørgensen, 1996: ''Den hellige jomfru i Esrum'' {{Coord, 56.0476, N, 12.3772, E, source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Benedictine monasteries in Denmark Cistercian monasteries in Denmark 1151 establishments in Europe 1536 disestablishments in Denmark Christian monasteries established in the 1150s Listed buildings and structures in Gribskov Municipality Museums in the Capital Region of Denmark 12th-century establishments in Denmark Monasteries dissolved under the Danish Reformation