Klaarkamp Abbey
Encyclopedia
Klaarkamp Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in the community of Dongeradeel
, about 4 kilometres southwest of Dokkum
and 2 kilometres north of Rinsumageest
in the Dutch
province of Friesland
.
in France
, which is the more generally accepted account, or from Riddagshausen Abbey
near Braunschweig
, in which case Klaarkamp was of the filiation of Morimond
. The abbey's daughter houses were Bloomkamp Abbey (founded 1190 near Bolsward
), Aduard Abbey (founded 1192) and Gerka Abbey (founded 1240 near Buitenpost
). The monastery was engaged in brick production from the clay on its land, and employed hundreds of lay brothers in this work.
The abbey's main estates were in Janum, Sijbrandahuis
, Veenwouden and on the island of Schiermonnikoog
. It also owned a grange at Betterwird, apparently in Westdongeradeel.
During the Reformation
battles of the Eighty Years' War Friesland converted to Protestantism
and secularised all its religious houses. On 31 May 1580 the abbey was dissolved and its assets confiscated by the state of Friesland. The buildings were sold off and demolished. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the mound, about 4 metres high, on which the monastery had stood was removed, and some excavation took place at that time.
Dongeradeel
- History :Dongeradeel was created in 1984 from a merger of the old municipalities Westdongeradeel, Oostdongeradeel, and Dokkum. The new municipality is still colloquially referred to in the plural, "de Dongeradelen".- Population centres :...
, about 4 kilometres southwest of Dokkum
Dokkum
Dokkum is a Dutch fortified town in the municipality of Dongeradeel in the province of Friesland. It has 13,145 inhabitants . The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the bolwerken . - History :...
and 2 kilometres north of Rinsumageest
Rinsumageest
Rinsumageast is a village in the Dantumadiel municipality of Friesland, in the Netherlands and has around the 1170 citizens .-Notable buildings:* The Protestant church of Rinsumageast...
in the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
province of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
.
History
The abbey was founded in either 1163 or 1165, either directly from Clairvaux AbbeyClairvaux Abbey
Clairvaux Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 km from Bar-sur-Aube, in the Aube département in northeastern France. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; a high-security prison, the Clairvaux Prison, now occupies the grounds...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which is the more generally accepted account, or from Riddagshausen Abbey
Riddagshausen Abbey
Riddagshausen Abbey was a Cistercian monastery just outside the city of Brunswick in Germany.It was founded as Marienzelle by Ludolf the Wend, a ministerialis of Henry the Lion and steward of Brunswick, and settled in 1145 by monks from Amelungsborn Abbey...
near Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, in which case Klaarkamp was of the filiation of Morimond
Morimond Abbey
Morimond Abbeyis a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cistercian Order, along with La Ferté to the south,...
. The abbey's daughter houses were Bloomkamp Abbey (founded 1190 near Bolsward
Bolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
), Aduard Abbey (founded 1192) and Gerka Abbey (founded 1240 near Buitenpost
Buitenpost
Buitenpost is a town in north-east Friesland in the Netherlands.It lies approximately halfway between the cities of Leeuwarden and Groningen, in the northern part of the municipality of Achtkarspelen...
). The monastery was engaged in brick production from the clay on its land, and employed hundreds of lay brothers in this work.
The abbey's main estates were in Janum, Sijbrandahuis
Sijbrandahuis
Sibrandahûs is a village in the Dantumadiel municipality of Friesland, in the Netherlands and has around the 57 citizens ....
, Veenwouden and on the island of Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog
Schiermonnikoog is an island, a municipality, and a national park in the northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland....
. It also owned a grange at Betterwird, apparently in Westdongeradeel.
During the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
battles of the Eighty Years' War Friesland converted to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
and secularised all its religious houses. On 31 May 1580 the abbey was dissolved and its assets confiscated by the state of Friesland. The buildings were sold off and demolished. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the mound, about 4 metres high, on which the monastery had stood was removed, and some excavation took place at that time.