Reynistaðarklaustur (

Modern Icelandic Icelandic (; is, íslenska, link=no ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national language. Due to being a West Scandinavian langua ...

: ;

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ) or Reynistathir abbey was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

, belonging to the

Order of Saint Benedict , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

and active from 1295 until 1562, when it was closed down during the

Icelandic Reformation The Icelandic Reformation took place in the middle of the 16th century. Iceland was at this time a territory ruled by Denmark-Norway, and Lutheran religious reform was imposed on the Icelanders by King Christian III of Denmark. Resistance to t ...

It was one of nine monasteries on the island, and one out of only two to house

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is ...

s, the other one being

Kirkjubæjar Abbey Kirkjubæjar Abbey (Icelandic: ''Kirkjubæjarklaustur''), in operation from 1186 until the Icelandic Reformation, was a monastery in Iceland of nuns of the Order of St. Benedict. It was located at Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Iceland had nine religious ...

. Located in

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi Peninsula to the west. There are ...

, it fell under the authority of the Bishop of Hólar. When Jarl

Gissur Þorvaldsson Gissur Thorvaldsson (1208 – 12 January 1268; Modern Icelandic: ; Old Norse: ) was a medieval Icelandic chieftain or '' goði'' of the Haukdælir family clan, and great-grandson of Jón Loftsson. Gissur played a major role in the period o ...

died in 1268, he donated his holdings in Reynistaðar to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, to house a religious community. It took three decades for this to happen, when finally Bishop Jörundur Þorsteinsson – together with

Hallbera Þorsteinsdóttir Hallbera Þorsteinsdóttir (died 1330; Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) was the founder and abbess of the convent Reynistaðarklaustur of the Benedictine order on Iceland. Hallbera belonged to a wealthy and powerful Icelandic family. She was the ...

, later Abbess, and a number of other wealthy women – took the initiative to found the convent once and for all. Some of Hallbera's successors include Guðný Helgadóttir, Oddbjörg Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Örnólfsdóttir,

Þórunn Ormsdóttir Thorunn Ormsdottir (''Þórunn Ormsdóttir''; died 1431) was the abbess of the Benedictine convent Reynistaðarklaustur in Iceland 1402–1431. Thorunn Ormsdottir assumed the position of abbess and took the responsibility of the convent and its ...

, Þóra Finnsdóttir, and Agnes Jónsdóttir. The convent declined significantly during the Black Death, and for several years there was no Abbess present. The last Abbess of Reynistaðarklaustur was

Solveig Rafnsdóttir Solveig Rafnsdóttir (1470–1561 or 1563), was the last abbess of the Reynistaðarklaustur, an Abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict on Iceland. Life Solveig Rafnsdóttir was the daughter of the elderman of Iceland, Hrafn Brandsson, and Margrét E ...

. The monastery's lands and properties were confiscated during the introduction of

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, causing Solveig to lose her authority. The last few nuns were allowed to remain for life in the defunct monastery.

References

Benedictine nunneries in Iceland Christian monasteries established in the 13th century 1295 establishments in Europe 1562 disestablishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Iceland Monasteries dissolved under the Icelandic Reformation {{Christian-monastery-stub