Vårfruberga Abbey (), previously Fogdö Abbey (''Fogdö kloster'') was a

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 ...

monastery of nuns from the 12th century until 1527, situated 1 mile north-west of

Strängnäs Strängnäs is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of t ...

on the Fogdö peninsula in

Lake Mälaren A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

, formerly a parish, in

Södermanland Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Österg� ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

History

Fogdö Abbey

In the 12th century a house of

Benedictine 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 ...

nuns was established here, but its exact location is obscure. Excavations in 1991–92 revealed that a medieval fortification had been built on an elevation near the water, and it is possible that the nuns were displaced from their original place of settlement on this strategic site to make room for the fort. This would explain why they moved to what is now Fogdö church, where the monastery was located from 1233. The church was used both as a parish church and as a monastic one, as is testified by an inset opening in the south wall – a so-called "nun's window" ("''nunneporten''"). The quire was also widened so as better to accommodate the nuns' choral liturgy. Judging from the surviving walls, the services of a builder trained in the Cistercian style were obtained for the project. In 1252 a letter was sent to the abbey offering protection from, and sealed by,

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl or Birger Magnusson (21 October 1266) was a Swedish statesman and regent, ''Swedish jarls, jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjälbo, who played a pivotal role in consolidating Sweden after the civil wars between the House of Eri ...

and his son

Valdemar Waldemar, Valdemar, Valdimar, or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame". The name is considered the equivalent of the Latvian name Valdemārs, the Estonian name ...

, which is still preserved in the '' Riksarkivet''.this document is now well known for containing the first known written reference to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

by that name

Vårfruberga Abbey

After 50 years the nuns moved again to the present Kungsberg (3 km east of Fogdö), where they were able to have built a full monastic complex in accordance with the Cistercian principles of monastery construction and layout. The new buildings were put into operation in 1289. At the same time the name of the community was changed to ''Vårfruberga'' ("Mountain of Our Lady"), and was formally accepted into the Cistercian order, as a daughter house of

Julita Abbey Julita Abbey (''Julita kloster'') was a monastery of the Cistercian monks in the parish of Julita, Sweden, Julita in Oppunda Hundred, Södermanland, Sweden. History The monastery was founded in 1160 at Viby, close to Sigtuna, but under the patr ...

. The church was built in the shape of a Latin cross, with three aisles and a short transept. The nave was divided by a wall to separate the nuns from the lay congregation. The church was roofed with tiles, and the external walls may also have been tile-clad. During the

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

of 1527, king

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

dissolved the abbey and appropriated its property and estates to the crown in accordance with the

Reduction of Gustav I of Sweden The Reduction of Gustav I of Sweden, was an important reform during the Protestant Swedish Reformation, in which king Gustav I of Sweden ordered a reduction in church property and the return of land to the crown, making the national church depend ...

. He had the monastery buildings demolished to use as a source of stone for the construction of

Gripsholm Castle Gripsholm Castle () is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, Sweden. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm. Since Gustav I Vasa, Gripsholm has belonged ...

. Parts of the walls survive.

Abbesses

The abbesses are only partially known. * Margareta (1233–1254) * In(grid?) (1278) * Kunigunda (1299–1323) * Ingrid Birgersdotter (1343–1351) * Gertrud Jonsdotter (1355–1358) * Regimod (Andersdotter?) (1348–1400) * Martha (1405) * Mechtild (1408–1415) * Cecilia Jönsdotter (1421–1447) * Margareta Beyentsdotter (1457) * Cecilia Jönsdotter (1463) * Lucia (1466–1474) * Berette Eriksdotter (1494) * Margareta Laurecnidotter (1508) * Martha Henriksdotter (1520- )

Notes

Sources and external links

Uppgifter från Riksantikvarieämbetets byggnadsregister

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varfruberga Abbey Cistercian nunneries in Sweden Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Former religious buildings and structures in Sweden Benedictine nunneries in Sweden 12th-century establishments in Sweden 1527 disestablishments in Europe 16th-century disestablishments in Sweden Medieval history of Sweden Monasteries dissolved under the Swedish Reformation Buildings and structures demolished in the 16th century Demolished buildings and structures in Sweden Strängnäs Municipality Buildings and structures in Södermanland County