Lyse Abbey or Saint Mary's Abbey, Lyse ( no, Lyse kloster, Lyse Mariakloster) is a now-ruined

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monastery in

Bjørnafjorden Municipality Bjørnafjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. It runs through the municipalities of Austevoll, Bjørnafjorden, and Tysnes. The large island of Tysnesøya (and many small, surrounding islands such as Reksteren) lie along the south side ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county in south-western

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The name "Lyse" is derived from Lysefjorden near which the building stood. The abbey lies at the southern base of the

Lyshornet Lyshornet is a mountain in Bjørnafjorden Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies about north of the village of Søvik and about west of the village of Søfteland. The Lyse Abbey lies at the southern base of the mount ...

mountain.

Pre-Reformation

Lyse Abbey was founded in 1146 by Sigurd, Bishop of the Ancient Diocese of Bergen, on farmland that he owned, as the Christianisation of Norway was nearing completion. The first monks were brought from Fountains Abbey in

Yorkshire, England Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. This was the first Cistercian monastery in Norway and was modelled on others built in England and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. As with all Cistercians, the monks took a vow of poverty. Renouncing all sources of income except from farming, they developed considerable skill in farming operations and management. Over time, this led to the abbey acquiring many other farms in the area, making it ever more rich and powerful. In all, the monastery had about 50 other farms in Os with at least as many more in other areas.

After the Reformation

The abbey was dissolved in

1536 __NOTOC__ Year 1536 ( MDXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January – King Henry VIII of England suffers a leg injury during a jou ...

when

Christian III of Denmark Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

decreed

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

to be the state religion of Norway. The abbey's possessions were confiscated, becoming the property of the king. Soapstone made up much of the building material. Over the next two centuries, the stones of the monastery structures were gradually removed and contributed to buildings such as the Rosenkrantz Tower in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, and Kronborg Castle in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

The monastery today

The ruins of the buildings were excavated in 1822 and 1838 and restored around 1930. The ruins are protected as a national monument and archaeological work to preserve and record the site continues. The monastery is a well-visited tourist site with good nature walks nearby. It is common for couples today to be married at the ruins, or at least to have wedding photographs taken there.

References

External links

Norges klostre i middelalderen: Lyse kloster

360° view of the ruins
{{Commonscat, Lyse kloster, Lyse Abbey Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Bjørnafjorden Cistercian monasteries in Norway Buildings and structures in Vestland Ruined abbeys and monasteries Ruins in Norway Church ruins in Norway 1536 disestablishments in Norway Monasteries dissolved under the Norwegian Reformation

Pre-Reformation

After the Reformation

The monastery today

See also

References

External links