Essenbæk Abbey ('' da, Essenbæk Kloster'') was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

located in Essenbæk Parish eight kilometers east of

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Assentoft, Denmark.

History

Early history

The monastery was established by (

Hvide Hvide (English: ''Whites'') was a medieval Danish clan, and afterwards in early modern era a Danish noble surname of presumably one surviving branch of leaders of that clan. Before the 16th century it was not used as a surname. It signified th ...

), who was killed in 1151,Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 18 perhaps as a

Cluniac The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wi ...

double monastery A double monastery (also dual monastery or double house) is a monastery combining separate communities of monks and of nuns, joined in one institution to share one church and other facilities. The practice is believed to have started in the East ...

in or near Randers. In 1179 it was changed, as the nuns apparently transferred to the Abbey of Our Lady in Randers, and was moved the next year to the east of the

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

of Holmen in Essenbæk Parish,Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 848 from which it took its name.Rasmussen, Poul (1958). ''Essenbæk Klosters jordegods i Sønder Hald herred'' in ''HISTORISK AARBOG FRA RANDERS AMT 1958''. Randers, Denmark; Randers Amts historiske Samfund, p. 20 It is said that the founder and his wife Margrethe were buried in the monastery church. The '' Annals of Essenbæk'', with historical notices regarding the years 1020-1323, seem to have been written in Essenbæk Abbey, which was the only monastery in

Djursland Djursland () is a 44 km × 33 km hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, ...

until the 20th century.Lorenzen, Vilhelm (1933). ''De danske benediktinerklostres bygningshistorie''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gad, p. 96 In 1330 Stig Andersen Hvide gave the abbey a farm in Egens Parish for burial placesMøller, Mogens (2016). ''Grenå og omegn under fremmede herrer''. Copenhagen, Denmark; BoD – Books on Demand, p. 155 in the monastic church for himself and his wife Tove Andersdatter, and in 1369 was buried there, as in due course was his wife. On 28 September 1403 the monastery was referred to as “ Saint Lawrence’s monastery in Æssumbæk of the

Order of St Benedict , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

”, and some of the monastery's income was from pilgrims who on

Saint John's Eve Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–37, 56–57) states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of J ...

went on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 9 to the

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

of Saint Lawrence (''Sankt Laurseskilde'') below Assentoft.Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 849 In 1431 the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

ordered the

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

to let the

bishop of Viborg The Diocese of Viborg is a diocese within the Church of Denmark, covering the western part of central Jutland. Viborg Cathedral in the city of Viborg serves as the seat of the diocese's bishop. The diocese has the highest ratio of church member ...

examine the qualifications of the abbot they had elected, before the bishop ordained him. Much wealth and property was donated to the monastery, particularly by the

clan, so that in time it owned all the lands in Essenbæk Parish, almost all those in Virring Parish, and additional estates in the parishes of Albæk, Bregnet, Dalbyover, Egens, Egå, Fausing, Fløjstrup, Gimming, Gjesing, Glesborg, Harridslev, Homå, Hornslet, Hørning, Kastbjerg, Lime, Mariager, Mejlby, Mørke, Rimsø, Skødstrup, Tøstrup, Udbyneder, Voldby, Ødum, and Årslev, as well as in the hundreds of Hjelmslev, Houlbjerg, and Middelsom. The monastery's assets in Sønderhald HundredRasmussen, Poul (1958). ''Essenbæk Klosters jordegods i Sønder Hald herred'' in ''HISTORISK AARBOG FRA RANDERS AMT 1958''. Randers, Denmark; Randers Amts historiske Samfund, p. 21 included the '' birk'' or market place of Essenbæk, with a legal jurisdiction independent of the hundred, from no later than 9 August 1475. For six farms the monastery in 1516 bought itself free from the obligation of billeting, and in 1518 the king owed the monastery 38 weights (0.56 kilograms) of silver and 25

Rhenish guilder The Rhenish ''gulden'' or Rhenish ''guilder'' (german: Rheinischer Gulden; la, florenus Rheni) was a gold, standard currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries. They weighed between 3.4 and 3.8 grams (). History The Rhenish ...

s.Hansen, Karl (1832). ''Danske Ridderborge, beskrevne tildeels efter utrykte Kilder''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Hofboghandler Beekens Forlag, p. 138 In 1525 it was assessed to raise from its estate two horsemen for domestic service, and two horsemen as well as two riflemen for foreign service. Despite the abbey's wealth the king declared on 5 September 1529Erslev, Kristian (1879). ''DANMARKS LEN OG LENSMÆND I DET SEXTENDE AARHUNDREDE (1513-1596)''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Jacob Erslevs Forlag, p. 154 that the courtier was elected by the monks as its custodian until his death, rather than the infirm abbot, since “the monastery’s estate is daily won from it, and the brothers for a long time have not gotten their necessities according to their rule’s exercise”. At the same time Emmiksen was named as

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

there by the king, who probably prompted the electionDaugaard, Jacob Brøgger (1830). ''Om de danske klostre i middelalderen''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Andreas Seidelin, p. 407 rather than the monks themselves. In the monastery's home farm alone there were then 20 oxen with two ploughs, 27 large and small

steers Steers is one of South Africa's most recognizable quick-service restaurant brands. The company is well known for serving burgers and chips. Other menu items include chicken burgers, ribs as well as ice cream and milkshakes, among other things. ...

, 42 cows, 26 heifers and young cattle, 100 sheep, 53 pigs, eight old nags, and 13 young nags and yearlings (year-old colts and

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

Modern history

A monk from the abbey was beheaded in 1537 for rape, and in 1540 the monastery was confiscated by the king.Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 11 Around that time it was mortgaged to for 3,000

dollars Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, U ...

– a sum that in 1546 had been increased to 4,000 dollars. The monks left the monastery early, and on 3 April 1548 the king decided that it should be a part of Queen Dorothea’s

jointure Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the de ...

. He therefore paid the mortgage, but later she received

Sønderborg (; german: Sonderburg ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,766 (1 January 2022),Nordborg Nordborg (german: Norburg), is a town with a population of 5,709 (1 January 2022),Mehlsen, Ejnar (1919). ''Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Aarbog udgivet af Randers Amts Historiske Samfund. Årgang 13. 52-60''. Randers, Denmark: Randers Amts Historiske Samfund, p. 54 and his wife Margrethe moved to Dronningborg Castle, and Bjørn Andersen, who owned , had the bodies of Stig Andersen Hvide and his wife Tove Andersdatter moved to Ørsted Church. In 1558 Chancellery Secretary registered nearly 100 letters from Essenbæk Abbey in

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Danish National Archives , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = , logo_width = 300px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = File:Rigsarkivet.jpg , picture_width = , picture_cap ...

, but the others are since lost. It is not known when the monastery was demolished, but in 1593 the local judicial district bailiff Rasmus Pedersen resided in Essenbæk Home Farm on the west of Holmen, which may imply that the monastery was probably uninhabitable by then. The church bell was taken to Old Essenbæk Church. On 22 August 1661 the monastery was acquired among other property from the king by Hans Friis, and that estate then included a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

which was possibly a remnant of the monastery's church. On 20 December 1687 the judicial district was incorporated into Sønderhald Hundred. The teacher Karl Hansen wrote in 1832 that there were no remains of the monastery,Hansen, Karl (1832). ''Danske Ridderborge, beskrevne tildeels efter utrykte Kilder''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Hofboghandler Beekens Forlag, p. 131 but in 1894 a piece of solid wall was found on the west of the mound known as Kirkegaarden (''the Churchyard'') on Holmen, which was then being surveyed for the

National Museum of Denmark The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from Strøget ...

. The teacher J. V. Nissen led an excavation in 1898 for the National Museum of Denmark, during which among other things remains of the monastery church were unearthed,Mehlsen, Ejnar (1919). ''Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Aarbog udgivet af Randers Amts Historiske Samfund. Årgang 13. 52-60''. Randers, Denmark: Randers Amts Historiske Samfund, pp. 52-53 and the National Museum of Denmark therefore had the site listed for

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

of the site. Kirkegaarden's owner began however in 1918 to remove stones from the site,Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 13 since the preservation had not been written into his title deed or mortgage records,Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 79 so in 1925 the architect I. P. Hjersing mapped what remained before that too was removed. The same year the owner found a stone-lined well there, and many skeletons around it.

Known abbots

* Peder - 1345Hansen, Karl (1832). ''Danske Ridderborge, beskrevne tildeels efter utrykte Kilder''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Hofboghandler Beekens Forlag, p. 136 * Lars – 3 April 1396 * Jens – 28 September 1403 * Mikkel - 1421, 17 July 1423, 4 September 1424 * Laurids - 1438 * Søren - 1463 * Per Niels – 1 February 1479 * Jonas - 1490 * Jens Thommesen/Thomæsøn - 1516, 1518, 5 September 1529

Location and structure

Holmen is mostly sandy soil between bog and meadow south of

Randers Fjord Randers Fjord is a long Danish fjord in Northern Europe leading to the sea of Kattegat, between Denmark and Sweden. The fjord is the outlet from Denmark's longest river, Gudenå. The upper , starting at the town Randers, looks more like a broa ...

. Kirkegaarden in 1894 measured about two '' alen'' (1.26 meter) high, about 37 ''alen'' (23.23 meters) from north to south, and about 50 ''alen'' (31.39 meters) from east to west. The excavation in 1898 unearthed a foundation of unworked

boulders In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

between one and two

feet The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...

high (0.31 to 0.63 meter) and four and a half feet thick (1.41 meter), to a depth of 130 centimeters below the surface of the earth, which in several places was laid around driven down oak piles. Down to 85 centimeters below the surface of the earth on top of the foundation there were the remains of a wall core of smaller fieldstones and brick fragments in a great deal of lime, which was covered with large medieval bricks. When the monastery was demolished, the large medieval bricks were first removed, after which the wall core was toppled outward. Until then parts of the toppled wall were up to 7 ''alen'' (4.39 meters) high, but on top there were probably courses entirely of brick.Mehlsen, Ejnar (1919). ''Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Aarbog udgivet af Randers Amts Historiske Samfund. Årgang 13. 52-60''. Randers, Denmark: Randers Amts Historiske Samfund, p. 53 The foundation was of the north-eastern corner of a building, which ended flat to the east, and inside extended 30 feet (9.42 meters) in either direction. Nearby remains indicated that the foundation continued towards the north from the building's north-west, which is why the building was thought to be the church's

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

The mapping in 1925 indicated that the foundation north of the church chancel was of the monastery's east wing, 49 meters long and 10 meters wide, which was divided into four rooms, of which the sacristy was apparently nearest the church. The mapping further indicated that the east wing was built to adjoin the monastery's north wing, in which there was probably an open

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

about two and a half ''alen'' (1.57 meters wide). The monastery's west wing was indicated, and between the wings was a courtyard that was open towards the south, with a stone-lined well in the middle surrounded by buried skeletons. Directly in front of the courtyard was another stone-lined well, this one with stairs. Altogether the monastery measured about 57 meters from north to south and 47 meters from east to west. In 1529 the monastery contained a kitchen, priest's kitchen,

scullery A scullery is a room in a house, traditionally used for washing up dishes and laundering clothes, or as an overflow kitchen. Tasks performed in the scullery include cleaning dishes and cooking utensils (or storing them), occasional kitchen work, ...

, basement, a food loft and a

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

, besides probably rooms for labourers and guests, and the monastery owned a home farm with a flour house. On a patch of heavy boulders to the north stood a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

, and curved round the east of the monastery was a water-filled ditch. To the south-west was its fish pond. From the monastery a road led across the bog to a flat space of about 40 square meters at the bottom of the Lausdal gully, where at the Well of Saint Lawrence there was a stone wall, and where in 1850 was found a 10 ''alen'' (6.28 meters) long tree pump. At the beginning of the 18th century skeletons in walled graves vaulted at the top were found here, which consequently was the monastery's graveyard, and again late in the 18th century as well as in 1849. Through the meadow the road was paved with smaller cobblestones and large rim stones, but from there wound as a sunken lane up through the heather hills at Assentoft. A stone-lined road also led through the meadow from the monastery to its loading port by Gudenåen. On the clay hill Mondal south of the bog, and east of Lausdal, remains of large medieval bricks indicate that the bricks for the monastery and its brick-lined graves were produced in a

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...

there.

Anna Krabbe’s Columns

Two granite columns three and a half meters highCaspersen, Erling (1977). ''Det forsvundne Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Årsskrift 1977''. Auning, Denmark; Lokalhistorisk Forening for Sønderhald Kommune, p. 24Strange, Preben (1985). ''Flere søjler fra Essenbæk kloster'' in ''Årsskrift 1985''. Auning, Denmark; Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 24 from the park at Stenalt were taken in 1804 across the frozen Randers FjordForeningen HistoriskAtlas.dk (2005). ''AnnaKrabbes Søjler''. http://historiskatlas.dk/Anna_Krabbes_S%C3%B8jler_(8578) etrieved 2016-10-29/ref> to Dronningborg.Sørensen, Lone Hammer (14.06.2016). ''Assentoft kæmper for at få antikke søjler hjem fra Randers'' in ''Randers Amtsavis''. Randers, Denmark; Jysk Fynske Medier There a local farmer used one as a roller, but in 1870 the columns were bought by Randers Municipality, which in 1872 had them erected in Tøjhushaven in Randers. Carved on the columns is the date "1589", a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

and the initials "FAK". The coat of arms belonged to the family of lady (''fruen'') Anna Krabbe, and the date probably refers to the year they were erected at Stenalt, which she then owned. Anna Krabbe collected antiquities, and is said to have had the columns brought there from Essenbæk Abbey. Probably the columns were quarried in the fourth century in Egypt, and thereafter stood in a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

building. How they came to Essenbæk is unknown, but they were probably incorporated in Essenbæk Abbey when it was built, with new capitals from Denmark added.Strange, Preben (1985). ''Flere søjler fra Essenbæk kloster'' in ''Årsskrift 1985''. Auning, Danmark; Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 25

References

{{Reflist Benedictine monasteries in Denmark 1140s establishments in Europe 12th century in Denmark 1548 disestablishments in Europe Aarhus Archaeological sites in Denmark Former religious buildings and structures in Denmark