Nådendal Abbey
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Nådendal Abbey (; ), was a
Bridgettine The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour (; abbreviated OSsS), is a Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta (Bridg ...
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
in then-Swedish
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, in operation from 1438 to 1591. The abbey was first situated in
Masku Masku () is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. It is located in the provinces of Finland, province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland regions of Finland, region. The municipality, which is located about j ...
, secondly in Perniö (1441) and finally in
Naantali Naantali (; ) is a municipalities of Finland, town in Southwest Finland, and, as a resort town during the summer, an important centre of tourism in the country. The municipality has a population of (), and is located west of Turku. The town h ...
in 1443. It was one of six monasteries in Finland during 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 ...
, and, as a
double monastery A double monastery (also dual monastery or double house) is a monastery combining separate communities of monks and of nuns, joined in one institution to share one church and other facilities. The practice is believed to have started in the East ...
, the only one which accepted women.


History

Nådendal Abbey was dedicated to Saint Bridget, Saint Anna, John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary. Initially, the convent struggled with some problems, because the spots chosen for it was deemed insufficient, but in 1443, a suitable spot was finally chosen and the establishment was given some stability. As the first convent for women in Finland, it was somewhat of a novelty. During the 15th-century, it was given many privileges from the crown as well as plenty of private donations, normally in the form of the income from numerous farms, and became a well-off abbey. In the 1490s, however, the convent experienced an economic crisis because the ongoing harsh winters, plague and bad harvests had decreased the revenue from the farms owned by the convent, a crisis which the convent does not seem to have recovered from fully. During the
Swedish Reformation The Reformation in Sweden is generally regarded as having begun in 1527 during the reign of King Gustav I of Sweden, but the process was slow and was not definitively decided until the Uppsala Synod of 1593, in the wake of an attempted Counter-Re ...
, the convent was placed under pressure. The reformation allowed for the donors, or the families of former donors, to retract all donations made to convents, which placed all convents at
financial risk Financial risk is any of various types of risk associated with financing, including financial transactions that include company loans in risk of default. Often it is understood to include only downside risk, meaning the potential for financi ...
, as many used this retraction right, which drained the abbey of its assets. Additionally, the convents were banned from accepting new members, and the existing were allowed to leave if they wished, an opportunity used by several members. In 1530, the abbess Valborg Fleming appealed directly to
Gustav I of Sweden Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföreståndare'') from 1521, during the on ...
, and successfully asked for the convent to keep the property it owned upon its foundation from confiscation: she was in fact also granted two estates more for the abbey's upkeep. This saved (if only temporarily) the convent financially and made it possible to support their members. In 1554, the church silver was confiscated and the abbey was visited by the
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 ...
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
Mikael Agricola Mikael Agricola (; c. 1510 – 9 April 1557) was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman who became the de facto founder of literary Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden, including Finland, which was a Swedish territo ...
, at which time its members was required to promise to become "
evangelical Christians Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...
", i.e., Lutherans, to refrain from venerating the saints and reading the revelations of Saint Bridget in public. In 1556, the estates and assets of the abbey were confiscated, but the remaining members of the monastic community were allowed a royal pension. They were also given donations by private sympathizers, such as
Anna Hogenskild Anna Klemetsdotter Hogenskild (1513–1590), also known as ''fru Anna till Åkerö'' ('lady Anna of Åkerö') and ''fru Anna till Hedensö'' ('lady Anna of Hedensö'), was a Swedish court official and landowner. She served as ''hovmästarinna'' to ...
. The last recognized Abbess, Birgitta Knutsdotter, died in 1577. By then, there were only four nuns and one monk left. The last nun, Elin Knutsdotter, was granted an allowance in 1584 and died in 1591.


Abbesses

* Katarina Bengtsdotter (1440–1445) * Margareta Arvidsdotter (–1457) * Birgitta Bengtsdotter (1464) * Lucia Olofsdotter Skelge (d. 1498) * Katarina Johannis (1504) * Margit Jönsdotter (1509) * Valborg Joakimsdotter Fleming (1526–1531) * Valborg Torkilsdotter (1536–1549) * Birgitta Pedersdotter (1549–1565) * Anna Nilsdotter (1565) * Birgitta Knutsdotter Kurck (1568–1577) * Elin Knutsdotter (–1591)


See also

* List of Christian religious houses in Finland


References

*Nordisk familjebok, 1904–1926.


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nadendal Abbey Buildings and structures completed in 1438 Bridgettine monasteries in Sweden 15th-century establishments in Finland 1438 establishments in Europe 1591 disestablishments Roman Catholic monasteries in Finland Christian monasteries established in the 1430s Monasteries dissolved under the Protestant Reformation