Bloemkamp Abbey (, also ''Oldeklooster''; ) is a former

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 ...

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 the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, located in Hartwerd in the municipality of

Wûnseradiel Wûnseradiel () is a former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Friesland province of the northern Netherlands, at the eastern end of the ''Afsluitdijk''. The official (legal) name of the municipality is in the West Frisian lang ...

to the north-east of

Bolsward Bolsward (, West Frisian: ''Boalsert'') is a city in Súdwest-Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward has a population of just under 10,200. It is located 10 km W.N.W. of Sneek. History The town is founded on th ...

, in the province of

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

History

The abbey was founded in approximately 1190-1192 by the brothers Tethard, Herdrad and Sybold, and settled from

Klaarkamp Abbey Klaarkamp Abbey (; ) was a Cistercian monastery in the community of Dantumadeel, about 4 kilometres southwest of Dokkum and 2 kilometres north of Rinsumageast in the Dutch province of Friesland. History The abbey was founded in either 1163 or 116 ...

, of the filiation of Clairvaux. It was dedicated by Balduin of Holland,

bishop of Utrecht List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht. Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580 Founders of the Utrecht diocese * * * * * Bishops * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

. Tethard was the first abbot and Herdrad the first prior. The second abbot was Wighard. The abbey acquired rights of patronage over the church of Scharnegoutum, and newly reclaimed land on the

Middelzee The Middelzee (Dutch language, Dutch for "middle sea"; ), also called Bordine, was the estuary mouth of the River Boorne (West Frisian: ''Boarn'') now in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Friesland. It ran from as far south as Sneek northward to ...

. In the conflict between the Schieringer and the Vetkooper, the abbey took the side of the Schieringer. In 1347, under the bellicose twelfth abbot, Meikulpus, the monks of Bloemkamp unsuccessfully attacked Pingjum Abbey. Renicus Camga, who became abbot in 1377, was also warlike, and maintained hostilities with the monks of , who supported the party of the Vetkooper. Battles with the monks of Ludingakerk in 1380 and 1420, as well as with the burghers of Bolsward, led to the decline of the abbey, made worse by the great flood of 1464, which caused serious damage to its estates. Nevertheless, it recovered within a few years, and was able to build a library, an infirmary and summer quarters for the monks, and its reputation and status were later restored to the extent that in 1499 Abbot Petrus Poppingawier was appointed a member of the High Council of Frisia. In 1515 the abbey was besieged by the peasant army of the

Arumer Zwarte Hoop The Arumer Zwarte Hoop, meaning "Black Army of Arum" () was an army of peasant rebels and mercenaries in Friesland fighting against the Habsburg authorities from 1515 to 1523. For four years they were successful under the former farmer Pier Gerlo ...

, until they were driven off by the troops of Lenard Swartsenburg. In 1535 the abbey was overrun by the

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

, who were however quickly defeated and executed by the troops of Georg Schenck,
Webpage on George Schenck

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

of Frisia. In 1572 the abbey was laid waste by Protestants but continued as a community until 1579. In this year the abbot was imprisoned and Protestantism introduced throughout Frisia. The state confiscated the abbey's goods, and the estates were later sold off.

Burials

In 1345 Count

William IV of Holland William II (1307 – 26 September 1345) was Count of Hainaut from 1337 until his death. He was also Count of Holland (as William IV) and Count of Zeeland. He succeeded his father, Count William I of Hainaut. While away fighting in Prussia, the F ...

was buried in the abbey church.

Site and buildings

There are no visible remains of the abbey buildings, but the place name ''Oldeclooster'' is still in use.

Notes and references

External links

Certosa di Firenze: Bloemkamp

Frieschdagblad, 18 July 2008: exhibition on Bloemkamp Abbey at the Titus Brandsma Museum

''Chronique ofte Historische geschiedenisse van Vrieslandt'' - contemporary engraving of the siege of the Oldeklooster, 1515

''Byvoegzels op het Vaderlandsch woordenboek'', Volume 12 (1790)

Bibliography