Vitskøl Abbey

Facts

Safe haven for Cistercians

By Johnny Grandjean Gøgsig Jakobsen, Postdoc, Ph.D. Nordisk Forskningsinstitut, KU (13 stories)

In the Middle Ages, Vitksøl Abbey was inhabited by Cistercian monks. It was established in 1158 by King Valdemar I and Archbishop Eskil. The monks Latinised the Danish name of the Abbey to Vitae Schola, "School of Life". The Cistercian abbey in Vitskøl came to own much land in North Jutland in the Middle Ages and had great cultural influence in the region. After the Reformation in 1536, the abbey was converted into a manor house, which from 1573 took the name Bjørnsholm. While the west wing of the old abbey and some brickwork in the manor's east wing have survived, the ruins of the abbey church are the most striking.

Partly a public place

Selected entry

Scantily clad women scare off monks

Story written by Johnny Grandjean Gøgsig Jakobsen

Time / Periode 1158 1536

0 comments 1 recommendations

The Cistercian abbey in Vitskøl was established by monks fleeing Sweden after Swedish Queen Christina drove them out their monastery in Varnhem. She was assisted by local women, whose methods were unusual to say the least; clambering over the monastery walls to answer the call of nature and parading in their undergarments at the monks' Easter procession. Eventually it was too much for the Cistercian brothers, who set off home, for France. But en route they met Danish Archbishop Eskil. He persuaded King Valdemar to grant them land for an abbey in Vitskøl, where the women appear to have been less provocative.