Løgum Abbey
Encyclopedia
Løgum Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in the present town of Løgumkloster
in North Schleswig in Denmark
.
in Skåne, the first Cistercian foundation in Denmark
. Løgum was in a sense a daughter house to Herrevad. The abbey was called "Locus Dei" in Latin
(Guds sted in Danish
), meaning "God's place") and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The new wooden monastery was destroyed by a fire in 1190. Bishop Omer of Ribe encouraged monks from other monasteries to go to Løgum to rebuild the abbey and its church. King Valdemar II gave it several farms to provide it with a steady income.
The surviving four-sided abbey complex was constructed of red bricks apparently manufactured on the site in the Gothic
style. It was completed during the first decades of the 14th century and consisted of the church, and at least two wings, one for the monks and one for guests and the hospital.
The church and one wing of the conventual buildings have survived to modern times.
The church was built as the north range of the abbey precinct in the form of a Latin cross with a nave and two side aisles. Chapels were added down the sides of the nave over time. The building shows the mix of Romanesque
and Gothic styles: some arches are rounded Romanesque arches, and others are the characteristic pointed arches of the Gothic style.
When the abbey was dissolved during the Reformation
the church became the parish church of Løgumkloster
and thus survived.
The tower over the transept contains three bells, the oldest, preserved from the original abbey, dating from 1442, cast by an unknown bell maker. The other two bells are relatively recently cast by De Smithske in 1924 and 1925.
Løgumkloster
Løgumkloster , is a town in Tønder municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark with a population of 3,618...
in North Schleswig in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
History
Løgum Abbey was founded in 1173 by Bishop Stefan of Ribe who had previously been at Herrevad AbbeyHerrevad Abbey
Herrevad Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near Ljungbyhed in Klippan Municipality, Scania, in the south of present-day Sweden, but formerly in Denmark until 1658. It is now a country house known as Herrevad Castle .- History :...
in Skåne, the first Cistercian foundation in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Løgum was in a sense a daughter house to Herrevad. The abbey was called "Locus Dei" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
(Guds sted in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
), meaning "God's place") and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The new wooden monastery was destroyed by a fire in 1190. Bishop Omer of Ribe encouraged monks from other monasteries to go to Løgum to rebuild the abbey and its church. King Valdemar II gave it several farms to provide it with a steady income.
The surviving four-sided abbey complex was constructed of red bricks apparently manufactured on the site in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. It was completed during the first decades of the 14th century and consisted of the church, and at least two wings, one for the monks and one for guests and the hospital.
The church and one wing of the conventual buildings have survived to modern times.
The church was built as the north range of the abbey precinct in the form of a Latin cross with a nave and two side aisles. Chapels were added down the sides of the nave over time. The building shows the mix of Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
and Gothic styles: some arches are rounded Romanesque arches, and others are the characteristic pointed arches of the Gothic style.
When the abbey was dissolved during the Reformation
Reformation in Denmark
The Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein was the transition from Roman Catholicism to Lutheranism in the realms ruled by the Copenhagen-based House of Oldenburg in the first half of the sixteenth century...
the church became the parish church of Løgumkloster
Løgumkloster
Løgumkloster , is a town in Tønder municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark with a population of 3,618...
and thus survived.
The tower over the transept contains three bells, the oldest, preserved from the original abbey, dating from 1442, cast by an unknown bell maker. The other two bells are relatively recently cast by De Smithske in 1924 and 1925.