Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta, in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Catharina Benedicta'' (1520 – 3 June 1593), was a Swedish

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

of the

Bridgettine Order The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...

, Abbess of

Vadstena Abbey The Abbey Pax Mariae ( la, Monasterium sanctarum Mariæ Virgìnis et Brigidæ in Vatzstena), more commonly referred to as Vadstena Abbey, situated on Lake Vättern in the Diocese of Linköping, Sweden, was the motherhouse of the Bridgettine Ord ...

in 1553–1564 and 1565–1593. She was the second last abbess in Sweden and Vadstena Abbey after the

reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

Life

Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta was the daughter of

riksråd Riksrådet (in Norwegian and Swedish), Rigsrådet (in Danish) or (English: the Council of the Realm and the Council of the State – sometimes translated as the "Privy Council") is the name of the councils of the Scandinavian countries that rule ...

and nobleman Benkt Pedersson Gylta (d. 1520) and Brita Bengtsdotter Lillie (d.1560) and the sister of riksråd Bengt Gylta (1514–1574) and the historian Jöran Gylta. Her paternal aunt and her paternal grandfather were both members of Vadstena Abbey. Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta was described as well educated and could speak

as well as Swedish.

Early tenure

She was elected abbess in 1553. She lost the position in 1564, but was elected for a second term already the year after, and after that, she kept the position until her death. Her period of office was longer than any other abbess before her, and also a turbulent period for the abbey. Vadstena Abbey had been allowed to remain after the reformation, but not without conflict. In 1555, the male section of the abbey was closed and the monks was ordered to leave. In 1567, the abbey was plundered by Danish soldiers during the

Northern Seven Years' War The Northern Seven Years' War (also known as the ''Nordic Seven Years' War'', the ''First Northern War'' or the ''Seven Years War in Scandinavia'') was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden (1523–1611), Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denm ...

. The year after, the number of nuns at Vadstena are counted as 18. The abbey was, however, still benefited by many private benefactors: in 1568, she received large donations from Queen

Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first a mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden and then briefly queen as his wife. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard na ...

and

Jöran Persson Jöran Persson, alternatively Göran Persson (c. 1530 – September 1568), was King Eric XIV of Sweden's favorite, most trusted counsellor and head of the King's network of spies. He was widely seen as a Machiavellian figure, and as holdin ...

during the illness of

Erik XIV of Sweden Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Es ...

Reign of John III

During the reign of King John III of Sweden, the abbey was favored by the royal house and Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta maintained a good relation to the King and the Queen,

Catherine Jagellon Catherine Jagiellon ( pl, Katarzyna Jagiellonka; sv, Katarina Jagellonica, Lithuanian: ''Kotryna Jogailatė''; 1 November 1526 – 16 September 1583) was a Polish princess and Queen of Sweden as the first wife of King John III. As such, she ...

. It is described how she used to talk to the King while they walked in the convents gardens, where he held her under the arm due to her infirmity. In 1575, the Vadstena Abbey was granted unlimited permission to receive novices again, which had been difficult since the reformation. In 1580, Gylta wrote to the Pope to ask for assistance, a letter which is still preserved. In the letter, she expressed her concern that there was at that time only one convent left in Sweden except for the Vadstena Abbey, that the nuns had been forced to do without the monks for thirty years and that there were only two Catholic priests left in the abbey, both crippled with age. It is likely that it was due to the Queen that the Vadstena Abbey was visited by a cardinal of the Pope,

Antonio Possevino Antonio Possevino (Antonius Possevinus) (10 July 1533 – 26 February 1611) was a Jesuit protagonist of Counter Reformation as a papal diplomat and a Jesuit controversialist, encyclopedist and bibliographer. He was the first Jesuit to visit ...

, whom Gylta received later the same year. The abbey was during his visitation reformed according to the latest regulations of the Catholic Church, and Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta and her prioress swore the Tridentian oath from 1564. In 1587, she hosted the monarch and Crown Prince Sigismund, and during their visit, the first great Catholic mass since the reformation was held. In 1592, a school for Catholic priests was founded in the abbey by Anders Magnusson. She died, as it was said, full of concerns for the future of the abbey.

References

Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor
* Signum svenska kulturhistoria, Renässansen (2005)

* https://web.archive.org/web/20120331142742/http://www.skarastiftshistoriska.nu/medlemsblad0602.pdf * https://archive.today/20120524185049/http://www.signum.se/signum/template.php?page=read&id=1690
Historiskt bibliotek utgifvet af Carl Silfverstolpe
* Lennart Jörälv: Reliker och mirakel. Den heliga Birgitta och Vadstena (2003)

Life

Early tenure

Reign of John III

See also

References

Further reading