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 Christian monks and nuns.
The conce ...
(''Slangerup Kloster'') was a
nunnery
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
first of
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
nuns, then of
Cistercian nuns
Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church.
History
The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in the ...
. It was in operation between 1170 and 1555 and was located in
Slangerup
Slangerup is a town in Frederikssund Municipality, about 30 km north-west of central Copenhagen, in the Capital Region of Denmark.
The town of Slangerup
The town was established by the Viking Slangir at the time of Harald Bluetooth. King Eric ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
. It has left no visible remains.
History
Slangerup was a royal residence dating from perhaps as early as 1000. It was part residence, part farm, and enclosed so it could serve as a small fort. About 1095 King
Erik Ejegod
Eric I ( – 10 July 1103), also known as Eric the Good ( da, Erik Ejegod), was King of Denmark following his brother Olaf I Hunger in 1095. He was a son of Sweyn II. His mother's identity is unknown. He married Boedil Thurgotsdatter.
Biog ...
, who was born here, replaced the wooden
stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...
with a limestone church dedicated to
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day De ...
. Its final dimensions were 60 meters long and 13 meters wide. The church was later enlarged to comprise a
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...
with two side aisles and an
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
added onto the choir. It also had twin towers about 30 meters in height.
In 1170 King Valdemar den Store gave the farm and church of Slangerup to a community of Benedictine nuns, to establish an abbey. It was dedicated to Our Lady and Saint Nicholas at the suggestion of
Absalon
Absalon (21 March 1201) was a Danish statesman and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Roskilde from 1158 to 1192 and archbishop of Lund from 1178 until his death. He was the foremost politician and church father of Denmar ...
,
Bishop of Roskilde
The former Diocese of Roskilde () was a diocese within the Roman-Catholic Church which was established in Denmark some time before 1022. The diocese was dissolved with the Reformation of Denmark and replaced by the Protestant Diocese of Zealan ...
. Valdemar moved his unmarried daughters to the abbey where they could be watched over and educated. The church became one wing of the
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...
, in which the nuns were separated from the world. They had their own private entry to the choir of the church which was gated off from the rest of the congregation, who usually attended the church only on
holy day
Holy day refers to a religious commemorative day or festival:
* Liturgical year, determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed
* List of movable Eastern Christian observances
* List of movable Western Christian o ...
s.
In 1187 a letter was written to Bishop Absalon, complaining that not all the nuns were "virtuous". This complaint led to the replacement of the Benedictine nuns with the new and strict Cistercian Order, which was seen as a reform. The original nuns either left or conformed to the new observance.
Throughout the 13th-14th centuries, the abbey received many rental properties and gifts of money from noble families for services rendered by the nuns for recently departed family members or for burial inside the Church. They also received donations and allowances from families who sent unmarried women to live a quasi-religious life in the abbey until they married or took the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.
By 1344, Princess Agnes Birgersdotter, the daughter of King Birger Magnusson and Queen Märta of Denmark, and her retinue were sent to live at Slangerup by King Erik VII. To ensure the abbey's continued existence it was given the town of Slangerup and several other large properties.
Dissolution
The
Protestant
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 ...
Reformation in Denmark
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
brought an end to the abbey at Slangerup. In 1529 the estate was given to Martin Bussert, who lost it during the
Count's Feud
The Count's Feud ( da, Grevens Fejde), also called the Count's War, was a war of succession that raged in Denmark in 1534–36 and brought about the Reformation in Denmark. In the international context, it was part of the European wars of religi ...
. All religious houses were closed and became
Crown property
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
in 1536 when Denmark accepted the
Smalcald Articles
The Smalcald Articles or Schmalkald Articles (german: Schmalkaldische Artikel) are a summary of Lutheran doctrine, written by Martin Luther in 1537 for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic League in preparation for an intended ecumenical Council of the ...
and officially became a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
realm
A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire.
E ...
. Monasteries including Slangerup Abbey were
secularized
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
, with the nuns allowed to live in the former monasteries under the supervision of a secular prioress. Nobles were given the use and income of the estate with the condition that they assume responsibility for the remaining nuns. At Slangerup this arrangement lasted until 1555 when Arild Ubbe was given the estate by King
Christian III
Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...
. In 1559 the valuable estate and its rent properties were broken up and divided between
Copenhagen Castle
Copenhagen Castle ( da, Københavns Slot) was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace.
History
In 1167, Bis ...
, the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
, and the town of Slangerup.
St. Nicholas' church was adjudged superfluous and demolished in 1572; the materials were used to construct St. Michael's Church (''Slangerup kirke Skt. Mikaels'') in Slangerup. Part of the
altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting ...
at St. Michael's includes the wooden altarpiece from Slangerup Abbey Church. By 1600 the entire monastic complex was completely demolished. The building materials were sold to Frederik II to be used in the construction of
Frederiksborg Castle
Frederiksborg Castle ( da, Frederiksborg Slot) is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by Frederick ...