Solveig Rafnsdóttir (1470–1561 or 1563), was the last

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of the Reynistaðarklaustur, an Abbey of the

Order of Saint Benedict 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 ...

on Iceland.

Life

Solveig Rafnsdóttir was the daughter of the elderman of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, Hrafn Brandsson, and Margrét Eyjólfsdóttir and the sister of the priest ocBrand Hrafnsson. She became a member of the

in the abbey of Reynistaðarklaustur, one of only two

convents A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...

on Iceland open to women, in 1493, and became its abbess in 1508. She was the manager of significant lands on Iceland through her position. During the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, the estates of the convent was confiscated and the convent was closed and banned from accepting any new novices. Solveig Rafnsdóttir lost her authority, but she and the other nuns were allowed to remain in the former convent for life. She died in 1561 or 1563.

References

*„„Reynistaðarklaustur“. Tímarit Hins íslenska bókmenntafélags, 8. árg. 1887.“, *„„Reynistaðarklaustur“. Sunnudagsblað Tímans, 6. ágúst 1967.“, *Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir: Nunnuklaustrið að Reynistað. Smárit Byggðasafns Skagfirðinga. 15th-century Icelandic women 15th-century Icelandic people 16th-century Icelandic women 16th-century Icelandic people 16th-century Christian nuns 1470 births 1563 deaths Benedictine abbesses {{RC-bio-stub

Life

See also

References