Sebber Priory
Encyclopedia
Sebber Priory is a remarkably preserved religious house in Sebbersund, near Nibe in northcentral Jutland
, Denmark
.
nuns. The priory was dedicated to St Lawrence. Its founding details are uncertain; it may have begun as an Augustinian house.
One question about Sebber Priory has always been why it was located on the coast in such an isolated location. It appears that Sebber was already a village in Viking
times, a trading place for ships plying the Limfjord
between the North Sea
and the Baltic
. Recent research by the Aalborg History Museum has discovered no fewer than three churches on or around St Jørgens Bjerg: two stave churches and a stone one. Over 300 Viking age graves were found in one of the largest Viking cemeteries found to date on the same ground as the priory was built. It seems that Sebber has been historically a religious place, perhaps even in pre-Christian times. If locals were looking for a sacred spot, what better choice on Sebbersund than where the ancestors both pagan and Christian had worshipped.
The priory was built in Gothic
style of red brick, the most common building material of the time.
Sebber was built to house approximately 12 Benedictine nuns in a relatively isolated place where they could practice a contemplative life without interference from the outside world.
Reformation in Denmark
The Reformation
brought an end to Sebber Priory when Christian III and the State Council adopted the Lutheran Ordinances, establishing Lutheranism
as the state church in October 1536. The abbey and its estate reverted to the crown and was then given over to Christian Friis, a noble from Aalborg. The abbey buildings became an estate farm owned by nobleman Oluf Brockenhus. Eventually the priory buildings were torn down, but the priory church became the local parish church.
What makes Sebber church so interesting is that it is the main building of the medieval priory much as it was in the Middle Ages. It is perhaps the best preserved in all of Jutland. The baptismal font and crucifix date from the days when it was still a priory church.
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, 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
Sebber Priory was established as early as 1250 and certainly before 1268 as a house for BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
nuns. The priory was dedicated to St Lawrence. Its founding details are uncertain; it may have begun as an Augustinian house.
One question about Sebber Priory has always been why it was located on the coast in such an isolated location. It appears that Sebber was already a village in Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
times, a trading place for ships plying the Limfjord
Limfjord
The Limfjord is a shallow sound in Denmark that separates the island of Vendsyssel-Thy from the rest of the Jutland Peninsula. It extends from Thyborøn Channel on the North Sea to Hals on the Kattegat. It is approximately 180 kilometres long and of an irregular shape with several bays, narrowings,...
between the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Recent research by the Aalborg History Museum has discovered no fewer than three churches on or around St Jørgens Bjerg: two stave churches and a stone one. Over 300 Viking age graves were found in one of the largest Viking cemeteries found to date on the same ground as the priory was built. It seems that Sebber has been historically a religious place, perhaps even in pre-Christian times. If locals were looking for a sacred spot, what better choice on Sebbersund than where the ancestors both pagan and Christian had worshipped.
The priory was built in 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 of red brick, the most common building material of the time.
Sebber was built to house approximately 12 Benedictine nuns in a relatively isolated place where they could practice a contemplative life without interference from the outside world.
Reformation in DenmarkReformation in DenmarkThe 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 ReformationReformation 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...
brought an end to Sebber Priory when Christian III and the State Council adopted the Lutheran Ordinances, establishing Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
as the state church in October 1536. The abbey and its estate reverted to the crown and was then given over to Christian Friis, a noble from Aalborg. The abbey buildings became an estate farm owned by nobleman Oluf Brockenhus. Eventually the priory buildings were torn down, but the priory church became the local parish church.
What makes Sebber church so interesting is that it is the main building of the medieval priory much as it was in the Middle Ages. It is perhaps the best preserved in all of Jutland. The baptismal font and crucifix date from the days when it was still a priory church.
External links
- Sebber Nonnekloster
- Sebber Kloster
- Sebber Kloster Qvistorff, Helge