Munkeby Abbey
Encyclopedia
Munkeby Abbey was a Cistercian monastery
near the village of Okkenhaug
in the municipality of Levanger
in Nord-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. It is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the town of Levanger
. The name "Munkeby" in Norwegian
means Place of the Monks.
was founded sometime between 1150 and 1180, and was the most northerly Cistercian foundation in the world. Possibly, like Hovedøya Abbey
and Lyse Abbey, Munkeby's foundation was carried out by English
monk
s. In 1207, Tautra Abbey
was founded, and, either then or at some later point in the 13th century the community and assets of Munkeby were transferred to the new foundation, of which Munkeby then became a grange.
An attempt to re-establish it as an independent house in the 1470s failed. The church however continued in use as a parish
church until 1587.
Local tradition had always maintained that Okkenhaug Chapel
had once belonged to a monastery; for centuries historians dismissed this, until in 1906 a letter dated 1475 from Pope Sixtus IV
to Abbot Stephen of Trugge was discovered in the Vatican
archives referring to the request for the restoration of the site as a functioning monastery.
It has sometimes been asserted that the church here was the same as that dedicated to the local Saint Brettiva in Skogn
, but this has not found general acceptance.
Norway accepted the Protestant Reformation and officially became a Luteran kingdom in 1537. All Catholic religious houses were then seized and declared to be Crown property. This was true of of Munkeby.
Abbey of Cîteaux
in France
decided to establish a new Cistercian monastery at Munkeby, the first new foundation directly from the very first house of the Order in 500 years. A monastery was built and four monks took residence there in 2009. The new monastery is situated about 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) from the medieval ruins. They now form a companion community to the Trappistine nuns who have re-settled the site of the former Tautra Abbey. The name of the modern house is simply Munkeby Mariakloster.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
near the village of Okkenhaug
Okkenhaug
Okkenhaug is a village in the municipality of Levanger in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located just north of the Levangselva river, about east of the town of Levanger. Okkenhaug Chapel is located here and Munkeby Abbey was located nearby....
in the municipality of Levanger
Levanger
Levanger is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger...
in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the town of Levanger
Levanger
Levanger is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger...
. The name "Munkeby" in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
means Place of the Monks.
History
The abbeyAbbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
was founded sometime between 1150 and 1180, and was the most northerly Cistercian foundation in the world. Possibly, like Hovedøya Abbey
Hovedøya Abbey
Hovedøya Abbey was a Cistercian monastery on the island of Hovedøya in Oslo Fjord, founded in 1147 and dissolved in 1532 just before the Reformation.-History:...
and Lyse Abbey, Munkeby's foundation was carried out by English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s. In 1207, Tautra Abbey
Tautra Abbey
Tautra Abbey was a monastery of Cistercian monks founded in the 13th century on the island of Tautra in the Trondheimsfjord. That abbey flourished and lasted until the 16th, when it was closed as part of Norway's acceptance of the Protestant Reformation. At the end of the 20th century, a community...
was founded, and, either then or at some later point in the 13th century the community and assets of Munkeby were transferred to the new foundation, of which Munkeby then became a grange.
An attempt to re-establish it as an independent house in the 1470s failed. The church however continued in use as a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
church until 1587.
Local tradition had always maintained that Okkenhaug Chapel
Okkenhaug Chapel
Okkenhaug Church is a parish church in the municipality of Levanger in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Okkenhaug. The church is part of the Okkenhaug parish in the Sør-Innherad deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The white, wooden church building was constructed in...
had once belonged to a monastery; for centuries historians dismissed this, until in 1906 a letter dated 1475 from Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. His accomplishments as Pope included the establishment of the Sistine Chapel; the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age,...
to Abbot Stephen of Trugge was discovered in the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
archives referring to the request for the restoration of the site as a functioning monastery.
It has sometimes been asserted that the church here was the same as that dedicated to the local Saint Brettiva in Skogn
Skogn
Skogn is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Levanger. It is home to the Fiborgtangen industrial area.The village of Skogn is located about southwest of the town of Levanger...
, but this has not found general acceptance.
Norway accepted the Protestant Reformation and officially became a Luteran kingdom in 1537. All Catholic religious houses were then seized and declared to be Crown property. This was true of of Munkeby.
Site
There are substantial remains of the simple church, built of stone, although it was used as a quarry, but the monastic buildings, built of wood, apparently succumbed to fire in 1567. The site was acquired by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments in 1967. No full archaeological investigation of the site has been carried out, but many partial excavations have taken place, including test excavations in 2000, none of which able to discover significant remains of the monastic buildings, although there is no doubt that they were located on the south side of the church.New monastery
In 2007, the now-TrappistTRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
Abbey of Cîteaux
Cîteaux Abbey
Cîteaux Abbey is a Roman Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. Today it belongs to the Trappists, or Cistercians of the Strict Observance . The Cistercian order takes its name from this mother house of Cîteaux, earlier Cisteaux, near Nuits-Saint-Georges...
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...
decided to establish a new Cistercian monastery at Munkeby, the first new foundation directly from the very first house of the Order in 500 years. A monastery was built and four monks took residence there in 2009. The new monastery is situated about 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) from the medieval ruins. They now form a companion community to the Trappistine nuns who have re-settled the site of the former Tautra Abbey. The name of the modern house is simply Munkeby Mariakloster.
External links
- Katolsk.no: Munkeby
- Fortidsminneforeningen: Munkeby
- Homepage of the new Munkeby Cistercian Monastery