The Cistercian Abbey of Roermond or ''Munsterabdij'' was a Cistercian nunnery in Roermond that existed from 1224 to 1797 and of which the

Munsterkerk The Munsterkerk (''Munster'') is a 13th-century church dedicated to Our Lady in the Dutch town of Roermond. Its remarkable front towers are 55 meter in height. The Munsterkerk is one of the most important examples of Late Romanesque architectur ...

is the only physical remnant.

History

Name

The name ''Munsterabdij'' — at the end of the 18th century ''Abdije Munster'' — is formed by the words ''abdij'', abbey, and ''munster'', which comes from the Latin ''monasterium'', itself meaning monastery. It was originally called the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( Dutch: ''Klooster van de Heilige Maagd Maria'').

Monastery foundation and history until 1797

The official foundation of the monastery can be established on 16 June 1224. That is when, in the presence of the papal legate Conrad van Urach, the foundation deed was signed by

Gerard III, Count of Guelders Gerard III of Guelders (1185 – 22 October 1229) was the Count of Guelders and Zutphen from 1207 until his death in 1229. He was a son of Count Otto I of Guelders, and is sometimes called Gerard IV or Gerard V. Gerard married Margaretha of ...

, and his wife, Margaret of Brabant. However, this signing was only a legal formality, as the monastery had been established in Roermond several years earlier, from 1218. The monastery church was incorporated in the Cistercian order in 1220, although the building might not have been completed by then. It was consecrated by the Archbishop of Cologne. The first abbess was

Richardis of Bavaria Richardis of Bavaria (1173 – 7 December 1231) was a German noblewoman. She was a daughter of Count Palatine Otto I of Bavaria, who later became the first Wittelsbach ''Duke'' of Bavaria, and his wife Agnes of Loon. Richardis married Otto ...

, widow of Count

Otto I of Guelders Otto I of Guelders (1150–1207) was a Count of Guelders and Zutphen from 1182 until his death in 1207. He was a son of Duke Hendrik of Guelders and Agnes of Arnstein. He married Richardis of Bavaria in 1184. Richardis was a daughter of Otto I W ...

and mother of Gerard III. At her request, the abbot of

Kamp Kamp or KAMP may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography * Kamp (river), Austria * Kamp (Bad Doberan), a park in the German town of Bad Doberan * Kamp, a district of the German municipality Kamp-Bornhofen * Kamp, a district of the German municipality Kamp-Lin ...

was appointed

visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can interve ...

by the pope. She died in 1231 and was buried in the abbey. On 18 February 1797, the sisters were forced to leave the convent by the French. Seven remaining nuns then moved in with one Mrs. Luitjens, but later all returned to their parental home. The last abbess of the abbey, Maria Josepha de Broich, died in Roermond on 8 February 1808. Roermondse passie detail

List of abbesses of the Munster Abbey

(from 1222 held the title of abbess) #Elisabeth of Guelders #Oda of Jülich #Clementina of Guelders #Agnes van Herpen #Elisabeth van Swalmen #Gertrude van Ravenach #Fritswindis van Swalmen #Bela van Malbourg #Bertha van Driel #Margaret van Elmpt #Mary van Driel #Bela van Mirlaer van Millendonck (abbess from 1447) #Aleidis van Bommel #Wilhelmina van Kessel (also called Wilhelmina de Kessel; fl. 15th century) #Bela van Dript #Jacoba van Erp #Agnes van Barick #Elisabeth van Flodrop #Anna van Barick #Agnes van Imstenraede #Anna van Ruyschenbergh #Susanna van Pardo #Adama van Egeren #Hermanna van Poll #Francisca d'Alsace Bossu #Maria Margaretha de Wijenhorst ex Donck #Adriana (or Adrienne) Albertina de Rheede de Saesvelt (abbess 1705–1728) #Anna Francisca van der Heyden, called Belderbusch #Maria Cecilia van Eyck (died 12 April 1771) #Maria Josepha de Broich (abbess until 1797; died 8 February 1808).

Monastic buildings

The

, today a parish church, is the only remnant of the monastery. Originally on the south side of this church there was a cloister with the refectory, chapter house, palace hall (?) and, on the first floor, the dormitory. West of the Munsterkerk, where the music kiosk now stands on

Munsterplein The Munstersquare (or ''Munsterplein'' in Dutch language, Dutch) is the main Town square, square in the city of Roermond. Its most prominent features are the bandstand and the Munster church (or "De Onze Lieve Vrouwe Munsterkerk" in Dutch lang ...

, originally stood the abbesses' house, which is mentioned as early as 1293. There was a building on Hamstraat, which probably served as a guest house. The large gate, which gave access to the monastery grounds, was also located on the same Hamstraat. During the French occupation, the abbess house was used as a prison while the other buildings served as barracks. When the prison was moved elsewhere in the middle of the 19th century, the abbess house and some other dilapidated buildings were demolished to make way for a public park. What remained of the other buildings was demolished in 1924, despite a fierce rescue by priest and history expert Mgr. Van Gils. File:Kerk met omgeving, reproductie van tekening in bezit van Gemeente Museum Roermond - Roermond - 20189205 - RCE.jpg, Ommuurd complex, 1738 File:Zicht op zuidgevel klooster en kerktorens - Roermond - 20319280 - RCE.jpg, Monastery wing, before 1924 File:Kerk en kloosterterrein naar het noord-westen - Roermond - 20189128 - RCE.jpg, After the demolition, 1924 File:Kerk vanuit het zuid-westen - Roermond - 20189103 - RCE.jpg, Redesigned area

References

{{Authority control Cistercian nunneries in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in Roermond Monasteries dissolved during the French Revolution Burial sites of the House of Wassenberg Burial sites of the House of Wittelsbach Demolished buildings and structures in the Netherlands Buildings and structures demolished in 1797