Sophie Zahrtmann
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Mette Sophie Zahrtmann (1841–1925) was a Danish
deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is, in modern times, a usually non-ordained ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a limited ...
and nurse. Zahrtmann became Sister Superior of the Danish Deaconess Institute in Copenhagen after the death of its founder
Louise Conring Louise Martine Laurette Conring (1824–1891) was a Danish superintendent, hospital inspector, deaconess and nurse. Charged by Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Princess Louise to investigate the Deaconess Institutes in Germany, Sweden and France with a view ...
in 1891. She is remembered for expanding the deaconess network in Denmark with additional homes and care centres and for adding theory to the training courses for nurses.


Early life

Born on 23 July 1841 in Vammen to the north-west of Viborg, Zahrtmann was the daughter of Johan Henrich Zahrtmann and his wife Marie Dorothea Poulsen. She was one of seven children brought up in the rectory at Hatting near
Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in De ...
where her father was the parish priest. Like her cousin, the painter
Kristian Zahrtmann Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Denmark, Danish Painting, painter. He was a part of the Danish artistic generation in the late 19th century, along with Peder Severin Krøyer and ...
, she was interested in art and took courses in drawing and painting. In 1855, while her sister was undergoing an operation at
Frederiks Hospital The royal Frederiks Hospital was Denmark's first hospital in the present-day meaning of the word. It was founded by king Frederik V and financed by the earnings from the Norwegian Postal Service. The buildings, situated in Bredgade in Copenh ...
in Copenhagen,
Søren Kierkegaard Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , , ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on ...
died at the hospital, awakening Zahrtmann's interest in the philosopher. She was also impressed by
Ilia Fibiger Ilia Fibiger (5 October 1817 – 10 June 1867) was a Danish writer and playwright as well as Denmark's first professional nurse. She was the elder sister of writer and feminist Mathilde Fibiger. Literary work Ilia Fibiger published four volu ...
, Denmark's first professional nurse, who worked at the hospital. After her mother died in 1858, Zahrtmann contemplated taking up a career but her father persuaded her to stay at home to take care of her younger sisters. The rectory suffered under the Danish War of 1864, causing Zahrtmann considerable distress from which she never fully recovered. Shortly before her father died in 1867, she received his permission to become a deaconess. First, however, she spent four years in
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, caring for two blind children.


Career

In 1872, Zahrtmann began her training at the Deaconess Institute in
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
rather than at the one in Copenhagen as she thought she would find more understanding there for Denmark's loss in the war as
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
had also been annexed to Germany in 1870. While abroad, she also worked for a period in a large hospital in
Neuchâtel , neighboring_municipalities= Auvernier, Boudry, Chabrey (VD), Colombier, Cressier, Cudrefin (VD), Delley-Portalban (FR), Enges, Fenin-Vilars-Saules, Hauterive, Saint-Blaise, Savagnier , twintowns = Aarau (Switzerland), Besançon (France), ...
and spent some time in the Deaconess Institute in Paris. But she was attached above all to the mother house in Strasbourg where she was installed as a deaconess in 1877. In 1879, she was assigned to Copenhagen's Deaconess Institute, where she played a central role in training its new sisters in nursing and Christian ethics. One of her important innovations was to introduce nursing theory as a component of the courses. She also emphasized the importance of a religious approach, drawing on her father's teaching. She became increasingly popular with her students and brought a more pleasant atmosphere to the institute. When Louise Corning died in 1891, Zahrtmann became Sister Superior, expanding the deaconess network throughout Denmark with additional branches and care centres. She also maintained contacts south of the Danish border in
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...
, often inviting Danish-speaking sisters to Denmark for free training. During her leadership, the number of sisters grew from 185 to 300. From 1903, she began systematically to improve the training courses in nursing, appointing Ingeborg Schrøder as head of training. By 1913, the training courses had been largely formalized and lasted for two years, six months being devoted to theory alone. When she retired in 1914, she moved to the deaconess home in
Gentofte Gentofte () is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Major landmarks include Gentofte Town Hall, Gentofte Hospital and Gentofte Church. Gentofte Lake with surrounding parkland and nature reserves form ...
, fully avoiding any interference with her successor Victoria Jensen. While a pensioner, she wrote a number of articles on Louise Conring as well as her own memoirs; both were later published in ''Den danske Diakonissestiftelses Årbog''. She died on 4 May 1925 in the Copenhagen district of
Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...
and is buried in
Solbjerg Park Cemetery Solbjerg Park Cemetery ( da, Solbjerg Parkkirkegård) Is a 19-hectare cemetery in Frederiksberg in the western outskirts of inner Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1865, it is one of three cemeteries in Frederiksberg Municipality Frederiksberg Ko ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahrtmann, Sophie 1841 births 1925 deaths People from Viborg Municipality Deaconesses Danish nurses Women nurses 19th-century Danish women