Vrejlev Priory
Encyclopedia
Vrejlev Priory was a priory of Premonstratensian
nuns located at Vrejlev, near Vrå
, Region Nordjylland
, Denmark
.
about 1165. It was small and built out of granite blocks. After a catastrophic fire in 1200 which destroyed the entire premises, it was decided to rebuild. 12 residential cells were built into the new north range for the Premonstratensian nuns who were to live in the rebuilt priory. Another range contained the refectory and cellars, and a third range housed lay sisters, usually unmarried young women or widows whose families paid for the privilege of living alongside the nuns. A cloister completed the four-sided complex.
After the fire in 1200, the church was expanded into a three aisled Romanesque
structure built of less expensive brick. It was remodelled in 1400 to form a church with two aisles in the Gothic
style by removing the outside nave, leaving the church asymmetrical in form. The existing tower was added and the bell hung, which was cast by P.H.P in 1400 and is still rung in the tower today.
The priory and nuns were led by the prioress, while the provost, or prior, who was often a layman and local nobleman, acted for them in secular matters. Some priors lived at Børglum Abbey and were monks, but served the same purpose.
Over time the priory came into possession of several farms and other income properties, though it was by no means wealthy. The rents helped sustain the priory and its works.
Vrejlev Priory fared badly in the 1520s and 1530s during the Danish Reformation
. It had been necessary for Vrejlev to be taken under the protection of Bishop Stygge Krumpen
in the reign of Frederick I
because it could not sustain itself. The priory was occupied by rebels under Skipper Clement
in his short-lived rebellion of 1534 and given to Claus Iversen Dyer. When Christian III's army crushed the revolt later that year, the priory fell to the crown, which appointed a bailiff to secularize it. The priory church became the parish church of Vrejlev. The nuns were permitted to remain for a time, but the cost of maintaining them there was prohibitive, and the former nuns eventually moved or married.
The estate was given to the nobleman Jens Bille in 1575. After 1609 it passed to a succession of noble families who remodelled the conventual buildings for use as a manor house
and estate buildings. The existing buildings, still called Vrejlev Kloster, incorporate two of the conventual ranges which have survived to modern times; the rest has been demolished.
The church served as the local parish church but was also the family church for the local resident nobles, and so was continuously repaired, embellished, and stocked with fine church furniture. There was a raised enclosure to separate the nobles and their guests from the rest of the congregation that was only removed in 1864, when the church became an ordinary parish church for the local community.
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
nuns located at Vrejlev, near Vrå
Vrå
Vrå is a town in Hjørring municipality in Denmark, as well as the former municipal seat of the abolished Løkken-Vrå municipality. Vrå has a population of 2,447 -References:...
, Region Nordjylland
Region Nordjylland
North Denmark Region or North Jutland Region is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger...
, 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
Vrejlev Priory was founded as a daughter house by canons from Børglum AbbeyBørglum Abbey
Børglum Abbey was an important Premonstratensian abbey of medieval Denmark, located in Børglum parish, in the commune of Hjørring, approximately five kilometers east of Løkken in north central Jutland .- Origin :...
about 1165. It was small and built out of granite blocks. After a catastrophic fire in 1200 which destroyed the entire premises, it was decided to rebuild. 12 residential cells were built into the new north range for the Premonstratensian nuns who were to live in the rebuilt priory. Another range contained the refectory and cellars, and a third range housed lay sisters, usually unmarried young women or widows whose families paid for the privilege of living alongside the nuns. A cloister completed the four-sided complex.
After the fire in 1200, the church was expanded into a three aisled 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,...
structure built of less expensive brick. It was remodelled in 1400 to form a church with two aisles 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 by removing the outside nave, leaving the church asymmetrical in form. The existing tower was added and the bell hung, which was cast by P.H.P in 1400 and is still rung in the tower today.
The priory and nuns were led by the prioress, while the provost, or prior, who was often a layman and local nobleman, acted for them in secular matters. Some priors lived at Børglum Abbey and were monks, but served the same purpose.
Over time the priory came into possession of several farms and other income properties, though it was by no means wealthy. The rents helped sustain the priory and its works.
Vrejlev Priory fared badly in the 1520s and 1530s during the Danish 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...
. It had been necessary for Vrejlev to be taken under the protection of Bishop Stygge Krumpen
Stygge Krumpen
Stygge Krumpen was a Danish clergyman and bureaucrat, who was the secretary of king Christian II of Denmark and the last catholic bishop of the Diocese of Børglum from 1533 to 1536, having been coadjutor bishop since 1519. He was the brother of Danish marshal Otte Krumpen...
in the reign of Frederick I
Frederick I of Denmark
Frederick I of Denmark and Norway was the King of Denmark and Norway. The name is also spelled Friedrich in German, Frederik in Danish, and Fredrik in Swedish and Norwegian...
because it could not sustain itself. The priory was occupied by rebels under Skipper Clement
Skipper Clement
Klemen Andersen "Skipper Clement" was a Danish merchant, captain, privateer and leader of the peasant rebellion that was part of the civil war known as the Count's Feud .-Background:...
in his short-lived rebellion of 1534 and given to Claus Iversen Dyer. When Christian III's army crushed the revolt later that year, the priory fell to the crown, which appointed a bailiff to secularize it. The priory church became the parish church of Vrejlev. The nuns were permitted to remain for a time, but the cost of maintaining them there was prohibitive, and the former nuns eventually moved or married.
The estate was given to the nobleman Jens Bille in 1575. After 1609 it passed to a succession of noble families who remodelled the conventual buildings for use as a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
and estate buildings. The existing buildings, still called Vrejlev Kloster, incorporate two of the conventual ranges which have survived to modern times; the rest has been demolished.
The church served as the local parish church but was also the family church for the local resident nobles, and so was continuously repaired, embellished, and stocked with fine church furniture. There was a raised enclosure to separate the nobles and their guests from the rest of the congregation that was only removed in 1864, when the church became an ordinary parish church for the local community.