Vemmetofte Convent () is a former

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

Faxe Municipality Faxe Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in Denmark in the Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand. The municipality covers an area of 406 km2 and has a population of 37,820 (2025). Its mayor as of January 2018 is Ole Vive. He is a member o ...

south of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It was turned into a

convent 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 ...

Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark Princess Sophia Hedwig of Denmark and Norway (28 August 1677 – 13 March 1735) was a Danish princess, the daughter of King Christian V and his queen-consort, Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Biography Sophia Hedwig became the object of ...

in 1735. Since 1975 it has provided housing available to the general public.

History

Early history

The oldest known reference to Vemmetofte Manor dates back to 1320 when it was owned by Johannes Offesen, a brother-in-law of

Stig Andersen Hvide Stig Andersen Hvide (died December 1293) was a Danish nobleman and magnate, known as the leading man among the outlaws after the murder of King Eric V of Denmark. In Danish tradition, he is known as ''Marsk Stig''. Biography In spite of his surna ...

who owned land both in

Skåneland Skåneland is a region on the southern Scandinavian Peninsula. It includes the Sweden, Swedish provinces of Sweden, provinces of Blekinge, Halland, and Skåne, Scania. The Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm is traditionally also included.For pop ...

and on

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

. Later it was owned by members of the aristocratic Brock family from 1464 to 1639. During this early stage of its history it was a strongly fortified house with a ring wall, double moats and draw bridges. After that it passed through the Brahe, Rosenkrandz and Krabbe families before it was bought by Queen Consort Charlotte Amalie in 1694 as part of a larger acquisition of land in the area. She had plans to turn the property into a convent but died in 1714 before they were carried out.

Prince Charles and Princess Sophie Hedvig

The next owner was

Prince Charles of Denmark Prince Charles of Denmark and Norway (26 October 1680 – 8 June 1729) was the fourth son of Christian V of Denmark and his consort Queen Charlotte Amalie, and thus a younger brother of King Frederick IV. He never married and had no children, ...

, Charlotte Amalie's youngest son, who resided at

Jægerspris Castle Jægerspris Castle (), in Jægerspris on the Hornsherred peninsula west of Copenhagen, is a Danish manor house. It has belonged to the Danish monarchs for most of its history which dates back to the 13th century. In the 1850s it became a retrea ...

which he had been given by his brother, Frederick IV, who had become king in 1699. Prince Charles immediately embarked on a major renovation and expansion of his new property which it would take nine years to complete. When Frederick IV had

Anne Sophie Reventlow Anne Sophie von Reventlow (; 16 April 1693 – 7 January 1743) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1721 to 1730 as the second wife of Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway. Early life Born in Clausholm castle, into an ancient House of Reventlow, ...

, his spouse by bigamy, crowned as his queen in 1721, it led to a breach between the two brothers, and Prince Charles and their sister, Princess Sophia Hedwig, showed their disapproval by turning their backs on the Court in Copenhagen and taking up residence at Vemmetofte. At Vemmetofte Manor, Charles and Sophie Hedvig maintained an extravagant household. They had a staff of 70 people supervised by their chamberlain,

Carl Adolph von Plessen Carl Adolph von Plessen (18 May 1678 – 30 January 1758) was a Danish statesman and landowner. He played a central role during the early reign of Christian VI but fell out of favour at the court and resigned in 1733. He was a major stakeholder ...

, who had been a close friend of Prince Charles since their youth

The convent

When Prince Charles died in 1729, he left Vemmetofte to Sophie Hedevig who provided that the estate should be turned into a

for unmarried women of noble descent on her death. The princess died on 13 March 1738 and Vemmetofte Convent was founded the same year with von Plessen as its first curator. From the beginning the convent suffered from a constrained economy and only survived due to considerable subsidies from von Plessen. Vemmetofte - moat with swans

The number of women it accommodated varied over the years but was generally 11. According to the charter they either had to be noblewomen or daughters of men from the three highest ranking classes.

Architecture

Vemmetofte's architecture is a result of a number of successive expansions and adaptions. The current main building was first built in 1500 and later expanded from 1600 to 1630. Prince Charles' expansion and redesign from 1714 to 1721 was undertaken with the assistance of

Johan Conrad Ernst Johan Conrad Ernst (16 June 1666 – 23 September 1750) was a Danish architect and royal master builder. He was the son of Johan Adolf Ernst, a successful linen merchant who had immigrated from Nuremberg and had a luxurious residence on Amagertor ...

. It adapted the main building to the

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

and also added a number of new estate buildings as well as a Baroque garden to the premises. In 1882 and 1883, the architect

Theodor Zeltner Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Bluege ...

carried out a rather rough renovation to a Historicist style which resulted in an unfortunate attempt to recreate a Renaissance castle. In 1907, Axel Berg undertook another major renovation which completely changed its appearance.

Today

Since a revision of its charter in 1975, Vemmetofte has been open to other tenants. The estate covering 2,293 hectares includes Højstrup Manor Marelundsgård.

Churchyard

Notable burials in the associated churchyard include: * Karen Bardenfleth (18921872), missionary * Christian Henrik Brasch (17111894), writer, clergy and historian * Carsten Friis Jespersen (19021988), engineer, CEO and philanthropist *

Maria Nielsen Maria Nielsen (1882–1931) was a Danish historian and headmistress. In 1919, she became one of the first women in Denmark to head a public high school when she was appointed rector of Rysensteen Gymnasium in Copenhagen. She was particularly at ...

(18821931), headmistress and historian

List of owners

* ( -1349) Johannes Offesen * (1349- ) Jens Lauridsen Panter * ( - ) Jens Andersen Brock * ( -1421) Iven Bryske * (1421- ) Johanne Nielsdatter Brock, gift 1) Bryske, 2) von Witzen, 3) Thott * ( -1456) Fikke von Witzen * (1456- ) Johanne Nielsdatter Brock, gift 1) Bryske, 2) von Witzen, 3) Thott * ( -1464) Oluf Axelsen Thott * (1464- ) Johanne Nielsdatter Brock, gift 1) Bryske, 2) von Witzen, 3) Thott * (1472-1504) Lave Brock * (1504-1529) Boet efter Lave Esgesen Brock * (1529-1534) Niels Brock * (1529-1545) Truid Gregersen Ulfstand * (1534-1541) Jytte Podebusk, gift 1) Brock, 2) Gyldenstierne * (1541-1544) Knud Gyldenstierne * (1544-1565) Lauge Brock * (1545-1559) Jens Truidsen Ulfstand * (1565-1595) Margrete Esgesdatter Bille, gift Brock * (1545-1566) Jens Ulfstand * (1566-1575) Niels Ulfstand * (1575-1590) Sophie Ulfstand, gift Podebusk * (1590-1599) Claus Podebusk * (1595-1625) Esge Brock * (1625-1640) Tyge Brahe * (1640-1641) Axel Brahe * (1641-1647) Holger Rosenkrantz * (1641) Palle Rosenkrantz * (1641-1662) Karen Krabbe, gift 1) Friis, 2) Rosenkrantz * (1662-1666) Iver Krabbe * (1647-1663) Niels Trolle * (1666-1680) Karen Marsvin, gift Krabbe * (1680-1694) Anne Sophie Krabbe, gift Urne * (1680-1694) Margrete Krabbe, gift 1) Ulfeldt, 2) Rosenkrantz * (1694-1714) Queen

Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (27 April 1650 – 27 March 1714) was Queen of Denmark and Norway by marriage to King Christian V. Although she did not have much political influence, she was a successful businesswoman in her many estates and p ...

* (1714-1729)

* (1729-1735)

* (1735- ) Vemmetofte Kloster

References

{{Authority control Manor houses in Faxe Municipality Castles in Region Zealand Religious buildings and structures in Denmark Lutheran women's convents