St. Clare's Priory, Stockholm, was a

Roman Catholic 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 let ...

nunnery of the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

in Stockholm, Sweden that was active from 1289 to the Swedish Reformation in 1527.

History

The nunnery was given large donations and lands upon its foundation by King

Magnus III of Sweden Magnus III ( 1240 – 18 December 1290), also called Magnus Ladulås, was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290. Name He was the ''first Magnus'' to rule Sweden for any length of time, not generally regarded as a usurper or ...

. King Magnus also gave his daughter Princess

Richeza Magnusdotter of Sweden Rikissa Magnusdotter of Sweden (ca 1285 – 17 December 1348) was a Swedish princess. She was the daughter of King Magnus III of Sweden (''Magnus Ladulås'') and his Queen consort Hedwig of Holstein Hedwig of HolsteinPhilip Line, ''Kingship and ...

to the nunnery. She was to serve as its

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

in 1335–1347. The priory was not, however, exclusively for aristocrats, as some other convents were: rather, many of the members and even abbesses were from the merchant class. The St. Clare's Priory had a close cooperation with the

Grey Friar's Abbey, Stockholm The Greyfriars Monastery (Swedish: ''Gråmunkeklostret'') on the island of Riddarholmen in Stockholm was a monastery for males of the Franciscan Order, in operation from 1270 until the Swedish Reformation of 1527. History The monastery was fou ...

, and there is an old legend that they were a secret passage between the two convents. The priory enjoyed prestige. In 1358, it was relieved from all taxes even during crisis. In 1495, when the regent

Sten Sture the elder Sten Sture the Elder ( sv, Sten Sture den äldre; 1440 – 14 December 1503) was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from 1470–1497 and 1501–1503. As the leader of the victorious Swedish separatist forces against the royal unionist fo ...

prepared to go to war against Russia, the Arch bishop Jakob Ulfsson of Uppsala asked to bring along the banner of Saint Erik, which was then brought from Uppsala and installed in the priory under great festivities. In 1497, king

John, King of Denmark John ( Danish, Norwegian and sv, Hans; né ''Johannes'') (2 February 1455 – 20 February 1513) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1481–1513), Norway (1483–1513) and as John II ( sv, Johan II) S ...

swore his oath as monarch here before the city of Stockholm was turned over to him. However, after the great fire of 1446, the priory was unable to quite recover economically, and by 1508, it was still in a poor state. During the Swedish War of Liberation of 1521–23, Danish-controlled Stockholm was under siege by the Swedes. The

of the nunnery,

Anna Leuhusen Anna Rheinholdsdotter Leuhusen (died c. 1554), was the Abbess of St. Clare's Priory in Stockholm. She became known for her involvement in the Swedish War of Liberation between Sweden and Denmark in the 1520s. Background Anna Leuhusen was born ...

, offered to allow Swedes living in Stockholm to safely escape the Danes by exiting the city through the nunnery. When they arrived to the nunnery, however, she signaled the Danish authorities, and the refugees were executed as traitors. In June 1523, Stockholm was retaken by the Swedes and made capital of the independent Kingdom of Sweden. In 1525, Elin Thomasdotter is noted to have replaced Anna Leuhusen as abbess.

Dissolution

The St. Clare's Priory was to be one of the first convents to be dissolved in accordance with the

Reduction of Gustav I of Sweden The Reduction of Gustav I of Sweden, was an important reform during the Protestant Swedish Reformation, in which king Gustav I of Sweden ordered a reduction in church property and the return of land to the crown, making the national church dependent ...

during the Swedish Reformation in 1527. This has been contributed to the acts of Anna Leuhusen during the war, for which the King felt vengeful.Lisbet Scheutz (2001 (2003) nuytgåva). Berömda och glömda stockholmskvinnor: sju stadsvandringar: 155 kvinnoporträtt. (Famous and forgotten women of Stockholm: seven tours: 155 female profiles) Stockholm: MBM. Libris 8392583 The nuns were allowed to do as they pleased. Former Abbess Anna Leuhusen and the rest of the

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 ...

s was allowed to settle in the Grey Friar's Abbey of

Riddarholmen Riddarholmen (, "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarh ...

, which had been dissolved the same year left empty by the monks. There, they worked as

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

s the rest of their lives. Edelina, believed to have been the last of the nuns, died in the

Danviken Hospital Danvikens hospital was a historical Swedish hospital, insane asylum and retirement home in Stockholm, active in 1558–1861. The area belonged to Stockholms kommun until 1984, when it was transferred to Nacka kommun. The Danvikens hospital w ...

in 1573. The building was demolished as the stones were needed to fortify the city walls. The stones from the nunnery were used to build the

Birger Jarls torn Birger Jarls torn (Swedish for ''Birger Jarl's Tower'') is a defensive tower on the northwest corner of Riddarholmen, an islet in Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm. The building has been named for Birger Jarl who traditionally is attribute ...

(Birger Jarl's Tower). Present-day

Klara Church The Church of Saint Clare or Klara Church ( sv, Klara kyrka) is a church in central Stockholm. Since 1989, the Swedish Evangelical Mission is responsible for its activities. The Church of Saint Clare is located on Klara Västra Kyrkogata in the ...

in Stockholm lies on the same spot that the priory and its church once did.

Abbesses

The abbesses are only partially known. # Ingeborg Thörnesdotter (Hjorthorn) (1314) # Gertrud (1322) # Helvig (1335) #

(circa 1336–1348) # Gertrud (1355) # Brita (circa 1364–1366) # Kristina (1372) # Märta Nilsdotter (1387) # Ingeborg, full name possibly Ingeborg Nilsdotter Vasa, (1408) # Birgitta Magnusdotter (circa 1430–1440) # Ramfrid Petri (1480) # Anna Reinholdsdotter Leuhusen (circa 1508–1525) # Elin Thomasdotter (circa 1525–1527)

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * *

External links

{{Catholic Church in Sweden Franciscan monasteries in Sweden 1289 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Sweden Christian monasteries established in the 13th century 1527 disestablishments in Sweden Medieval Sweden Monasteries dissolved under the Swedish Reformation