The Abbey Pax Mariae ( la, Monasterium sanctarum Mariæ Virgìnis et Brigidæ in Vatzstena), more commonly referred to as Vadstena Abbey, situated on

Lake Vättern A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

in the

Diocese of Linköping The Diocese of Linköping ( sv, Linköpings stift) is a diocese within the Church of Sweden administering the Östergötland County, the north eastern part of Jönköping County and the northern part of Kalmar County. It comprises nine deanerie ...

, Sweden, was the

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...

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 ...

. The abbey started on one of the farms donated to it by the king, but the town of

Vadstena Vadstena () is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,613 inhabitants in 2010. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality. Despite its small population, Vadstena is ...

grew up around it. It was active from 1346 until 1595.

History

Foundation and duration

The abbey was founded in 1346 by Saint Bridget with the assistance of King

Magnus IV of Sweden Magnus IV (April or May 1316 – 1 December 1374; Swedish ''Magnus Eriksson'') was King of Sweden from 1319 to 1364, King of Norway as Magnus VII (including Iceland and Greenland) from 1319 to 1355, and ruler of Scania from 1332 to 1360. By ...

and his Queen Blanche, who made a will donating ten farms, including that of Vadstena in

Dal Hundred A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in northern Germanic countries and related colonies, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions. The equivalent term in Swedish is (in Uppland also ...

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, to the abbey founded by Bridget. The daughter of Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine, on arriving there in 1374 with the relics of her mother, found only a few

novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession A profession is a field of work that has ...

s under a

Religious Superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another (a "subordinate" or "inferior"), and thus closer to the apex. In business, superiors are people who are supervi ...

. They chose Catherine as their abbess. She died in 1381, and it was not until 1384 that the abbey was blessed by the

Bishop of Linköping Bishops of the Diocese of Linköping, Sweden. Before the reformation * Herbert (bishop), Herbert? * Rikard (bishop), Rikard? * 1139–1160s Gisle (bishop), Gisle * 1170–1171 Stenar (bishop), Stenar * 1187–1195/96 Kol (bishop), Kol * Johannes ( ...

. The first recognized abbess was

Ingegerd Knutsdotter Ingegerd Knutsdotter (1356 – September 14, 1412) was a Swedish nun and noble, the first official abbess of the Bridgettine Abbey of Vadstena in 1385/88–1403. Life Ingegerd Knutsdotter was the daughter of Märtha (Margareta) Ulfsdotter and K ...

, granddaughter of Saint Bridget. The

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

of Saint Bridget in 1391 and the

translation Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

of her remains to the Abbey Church in 1394 added greatly to the fame and riches of her community. In 1400 Duke

Eric of Pomerania Eric of Pomerania (1381 or 1382 – 24 September 1459) was the ruler of the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439, succeeding his grandaunt, Queen Margaret I. He is known as Eric III as King of Norway (1389–1442), Eric VII as King of Denmark (1396 ...

was invested at Vadstena by his great-aunt, Queen Margaret, as King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The grave of his wife, Queen

Philippa Philippa is a feminine given name meaning "lover of horses" or "horses' friend". Common alternative spellings include ''Filippa'' and ''Phillipa''. Less common is ''Filipa'' and even ''Philippe'' (cf. the French spelling of ''Philippa of Guelders'' ...

, and that of

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

, Queen Consort of King Carl II of Sweden, are located here. Bridgetine literature consisted mostly of translations into Swedish of portions of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

or of the legends of the saints. Such writings as are extant have been published for the most part by the Svenska fornskriftsällskapet (Old Swedish Texts Society) of Stockholm. The manuscripts are held in the Royal Library, Stockholm (including two in Swedish in Birgitta's handwriting), and at the University Libraries of Uppsala (which also has contemplative manuscripts in English connected with the English mission), and Lund. Of these authors, the best known belonging to Vadstena are perhaps

Margareta Clausdotter Margareta Clausdotter (died 10 December 1486) was a Swedish writer and genealogist, a Roman Catholic nun of the Bridgettine order and from 1473 until her death, abbess of the Vadstena Abbey. Christina Brask Christina Hansadotter Brask, or ''Chri ...

(abbess 1473, died 1486), author of a work on the family of St. Bridget (printed in " Scriptores Rerum Svecicarum", III, I, 207-16), and

Nicolaus Ragvaldi Nicolaus Ragvaldi (Latinized form of Swedish Nils Ragvaldsson) (born in the early 1380s and died on 17 February 1448) was bishop of Växjö and from 1438–1448 archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden. He is known as an early representative of the Gothi ...

, monk and General

Confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.double monastery A double monastery (also dual monastery or double house) is a monastery combining separate communities of monks and of nuns, joined in one institution to share one church and other facilities. The practice is believed to have started in the East a ...

, with both a male section of 25

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s and a female section of 60

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. The monks were organised under the General Confessor and the nuns under a prioress, while the abbey as a whole was organised under an abbess, who was elected by both the monks and the nuns. The abbey was greatly favored by the royal house and nobility and became the spiritual center of the country as well as the greatest landowner in Sweden. The abbey was known to manage a hospital and retirement home, which is recorded from 1401. Early on, Vadstena Abbey supported

Beghards and Beguines The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take fo ...

, the latter often aristocratic women, who had a poor reputation among Church authorities. In 1412, the abbey was ordered to expel them, but this was not done until 1506. In 1436, the bailiff Jösse Eriksson sought asylum in the abbey, but was forced out and arrested all the same. In 1419, the abbey was subjected to an investigation wherein the abbess, as well as the nuns, were accused of having accepted personal gifts and having entertained male guests at unacceptable hours. Vadstena Abbey also had international fame as the

of all the monasteries of the Bridgettine Order, such as

Reval Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...

Nådendal Naantali (; sv, Nådendal) is a town in southwestern Finland, and, as a resort town during the summer, an important tourist centre of the country. The municipality has a population of (), and is located in the region of Southwest Finland, west ...

, Bergen and Danzig. It kept in contact with other monasteries, performed inspections of them and sent both nuns and monks to them when they were lacking in members. In 1406, for example, an English delegation headed by

Henry FitzHugh, 3rd Baron FitzHugh Henry FitzHugh, 3rd Baron FitzHugh KG ( – 11 January 1425) of Ravensworth Castle in North Yorkshire, was an administrator and diplomat who served under Kings Henry IV and Henry V. Origins FitzHugh was the first son of Hugh FitzHugh, 2nd Bar ...

arrived asking for members in order to establish a Bridgettine monastery in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and in 1415 four nuns, three female novices, one monk and one priest left the abbey under great celebrations for the foundation of what became the famed

Syon Abbey Syon Abbey , also called simply Syon, was a dual monastery of men and women of the Bridgettines, Bridgettine Order, although it only ever had abbesses during its existence. It was founded in 1415 and stood, until its demolition in the 16th cen ...

Post-reformation and dissolution

After the introduction of the

Reformation in Sweden The Reformation in Sweden is generally regarded as having begun in 1527 during the reign of King Gustav I of Sweden, but the process was slow and did not end definitively until the Uppsala Synod of 1593 and the following War against Sigismund, with ...

in 1527, monastic communities in Sweden were effectively ended by the ban against accepting new

s and assets where declared crown property 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 ...

. The existing members were allowed to stay until their death, to be supported by an allowance from the former property of the monastery, or to leave if they wished. Vadstena Abbey, however, was exempted from this ban and allowed to accept novices even after the Reformation, though only by special permission from the monarch. This regulation was directed to Bishop

Hans Brask *Hans Brask (1464–1538) was a Swedish Bishop of Linköping. Biography Brask was born in Linköping in 1464 to a bourgeois family. He studied philosophy and law at German universities, e.g. Rostock, and around 1500 he received a doctoral degr ...

by King

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...

in 1527 after an elopement by a novice the previous year. The Abbey had a favorable position because of its international fame and because of its strong ties with the Swedish nobility, due to its foundress. Many of the monks and nuns were from the nobility, including the King's own sister, Anna. It also served as a burial ground for many noble families. The nuns and monks of Vadstena Abbey were, however, allowed to leave the abbey if they wished. Among the most notable who did leave was Abbess

Birgitta Botolfsdotter Birgitta Botolfsdotter, or ''Botulfsdotter'' ( fl. 1567) was a Swedish Roman Catholic nun, abbess of Vadstena Abbey during the ongoing Protestant Reformation. Birgitta was inducted into the order in 1492 by the Bishop of Linköping, who also fin ...

, who left the abbey to marry. In 1544 the King, reportedly after having been asked by some of the monks and nuns, issued an instruction which specifically allowed the nuns and monks to leave the Vadstena Abbey to marry if they wished to, and specifically forbade the abbess and the other members of the abbey from stopping them. The younger nuns were reportedly more willing to leave than the older, but the nuns in general stayed more often than the monks. In large part, this may be due to the fact that the monks, after having converted to Lutheranism, were provided with the professions of medical doctor, pastor or teacher, while the nuns seldom had a choice other than marriage. As a result, far more of them remained in the abbey than did the monks. In May 1540, the Abbey was visited by the local Protestant bishop. The Catholic

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

and the

veneration Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etymo ...

of saints were banned and Protestant services were ordered to be held in the Abbey church. The nuns are reported to have plugged their ears during the sermon. An inventory of the abbey's valuables was made by the Crown, and in 1543, most of the books and valuables were confiscated. The abbey was allowed to receive private donations on condition that the monks refrain from the public Catholic sermons they had evidently been preaching until then. Vadstena Abbey was granted large donations by private benefactors, both from the public and from the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

. Among the notable benefactors were Queen

Margaret Leijonhufvud Margaret Leijonhufvud (née ''Margareta Eriksdotter''; 1 January 1516 – 26 August 1551) was Queen of Sweden from 1536 to 1551 by marriage to King Gustav I. She played a political role as the advisor of, and the intermediary to, her spouse the ...

and her family, the former Abbess Birgitta Botolfsdotter and her wealthy husband, 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 ...

Anna Hogenskild Anna Klemetsdotter Hogenskild (1513-1590), also known as ''fru Anna till Åkerö'' ('lady Anna of Åkerö') and ''fru Anna till Hedensö'' ('lady Anna of Hedensö'), was a Swedish court official and landowner. She served as ''hovmästarinna'' to que ...

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 holding t ...

. In 1549, the majority of the monks were ordered to leave the abbey. In 1550, the nuns were moved to the smaller part of the abbey, the wing previously belonging to the monks, and in 1555 the male contingent of the abbey was formally abolished and Vadstena Abbey became an all-female community. 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 and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck, and Polan ...

of 1567, the abbey was looted by Danish soldiers. In 1568, the number of nuns was counted as 18. During the reign of King John III (1569–1592), the abbey was restored and enriched, and the abbess was on very good terms with the royal couple. In 1575, John III granted the abbey the right to receive novices without restriction again, and his Catholic 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 ...

, made donations to it and forged contacts between the abbey and Rome. The

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

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 Mu ...

, as

Papal Legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

, reformed it in 1580. At this occasion, the abbess and the prioress were made to swear the Tridentine Oath of 1564 and the nuns were made to take their vows a second time. Possevino also left with a group of boys to be educated as Catholic priests. In 1587, the first Catholic

Solemn Mass Solemn Mass ( la, missa solemnis) is the full ceremonial form of a Mass, predominantly associated with the Tridentine Mass where it is celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon,"The essence of high Mass is not the music but the deacon ...

since the Reformation was held in the abbey during a visit by the King and the Crown Prince, and in 1592, a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

to prepare Catholic priests was founded. The Catholic King Sigismund granted the Vadstena Abbey his protection at his coronation in 1594. The Papal Legate Germanico Malaspina visited the abbey and a young girl was accepted as a novice. Later in 1594, however, the Protestant Duke Charles, later

Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl ( sv, Karl IX; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric X ...

, took power and ordered the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

of Vadstena Abbey. In 1595, the majority of the remaining 11 nuns left with their abbess and, after having spent the winter in Söderköping, sailed to the Bridgettine Abbey of Danzig,

Marienbrunn Abbey Marienbrunn Abbey also called ''Fons Mariae'' and ''Triumphus Marie'' was a double convent for women and men of the order of the Bridgettines, situated in Gdańsk between 1391 and 1833. It was the first convent of the order founded outside of Sweden ...

, in the spring of 1596. Three remaining nuns were there for the visit of Bishop

Abraham Angermannus Abraham Andersson, usually known under the Latin form of his name, Abrahamus Andreæ Angermannus or just Abraham Angermannus (died in October 1607) was the fourth Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1593 to 1599. He was de ...

in July 1596. Of these, one married an officer and courtier of Charles IX, another one became

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

to Queen Christina, and the last one,

Karin Johansdotter Karin Johansdotter (died after 1605), was a Swedish Roman Catholic nun of the Bridgettine Order. She was the last nun in Sweden after the Swedish Reformation. Karin Johansdotter joined the Vadstena Abbey at an unknown year. She was still of child ...

, was allowed to stay in the building of the former abbey employed as a caretaker to the abbey's gardens until 1605. When Magnus Vasa,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, died in 1595 he was buried in the abbey church. His

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

can still be seen today.

Post-dissolution

After Karin Johansdotter left the former abbey in 1605, the buildings were left empty for almost 40 years. There were plans to found a university in them, but nothing came of this. In 1641, a ''Krigsmanshus'' (home for veterans) was founded for retired and invalid soldiers and their families, and was housed in the former nuns' wing for over 140 years. It also provided a school for the soldiers' children. The home was closed in 1783. In 1795, a hospital for

venereal disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral se ...

s was established in both the male and female sections of the former abbey. From the 1840s, it also received patients with other illnesses and became a public hospital. The hospital was moved to modern facilities in 1909. The nuns' section of the abbey was used as a prison from 1810 to 1825, and after that as a part of the Vadstena Insane Asylum until 1951. The northern building, which contains the nuns' chapterhouse and dormitory, was going to be converted into other uses when in 1956 it was discovered to contain substantial remains of a thirteenth-century royal palace. A thorough restoration was undertaken and in 2003 it became a monastery museum, ''Vadstena klostermuseum''. In 1935, the

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

s of the Birgittine Order came to Vadstena under the Saint Elisabeth Hasselblad and established a convent outside of the grounds of the former abbey. In 1963 the convent was refounded as a Bridgettine convent of the original branch of the Order (see further below). The abbey church is still standing and contains a few memorials of St. Bridget. This devotional site, known as The Blue Church, is visited by both Lutheran and Roman Catholic pilgrims. The Blue Church contains relics of Saint Bridget in a red-coloured

casket A casket jewelry box is a container that is usually smaller than a chest, and in the past were typically decorated. Whereas cremation jewelry is a small container, usually in the shape of a pendant or bracelet, to hold a small amount of ashes. ...

as well as medieval sculptures of Saint Bridget, Saint Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary and other medieval art. Three other buildings also remain: the best preserved is the royal palace/nuns' chapterhouse/museum mentioned above; the other two have been converted into a hotel and restaurant.

Modern abbey

The present-day monastery of Bridgettine nuns, situated near the ancient abbey, is named Mary's Peace ( la, Pax Mariae). It was established from a Bridgettine abbey in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, one of the very few abbeys of the original branch of the Order that still remain, and currently numbers eight nuns. In 1991 it was raised to the status of an autonomous abbey.

Chronology

* 1346 - King Magnus IV and Queen Blanche donate the royal estate Vadstena kungsgård to the foundation of a future monastery. * 1370 - Pope

Urban V Pope Urban V ( la, Urbanus V; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the on ...

gives his approval to the plan of St Bridget. * 1373 - Bridget dies in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. * 1374 - The remains of Bridget are taken to

. Her daughter, Saint

Catherine of Vadstena Catherine of Sweden, Katarina av Vadstena, Catherine of Vadstena or Katarina Ulfsdotter (c. 1332 – 24 March 1381) was a Swedish noblewoman. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Her father was Ulf Gudmarsson, Lord of U ...

is elected Abbess of Vadstena. * 1384 - The Abbey is officially blessed. * 1391 - Bridget is declared a saint. * 1430 - Queen Philippa is buried here and the Church of Vadstena Abbey is blessed. * 1451 - Queen Catherine is buried here. * 1495 - A printing press is installed at the abbey. * 1527 - The Reformation bans the Abbey from accepting any new novices without special permission from the monarch. The nuns and monks are given permission to leave the community if they so wish. * 1540 - The Catholic Mass is banned and Protestant services are held in the abbey. * 1541 - The Abbey is allowed to receive private donations again, but most of its assets are confiscated. * 1544 - The monarch specifically bans the abbey from preventing members from leaving. * 1549 - The majority of the monks are evicted from the abbey. * 1550 - The Abbey church is closed to the members of the abbey, who are limited to use of the former monks' chapel. The nuns and the few remaining monks are limited to the use of only the small wing of the abbey formerly the monks' section. * 1555 - The male contingent of the Abbey is dissolved, and the monks leave Vadstena Abbey. * 1567 - Danish soldiers loot the abbey during the

. * 1575 - King John III of Sweden allows the Abbey to accept novices without restriction again. * 1580 - The Abbey is visited and reformed by the Papal Legate

. * 1587 - The first public Solemn Mass since the Reformation is celebrated in the presence of the King and Crown Prince. * 1592 - A seminary for the education of Catholic priests is founded. * 1595 - Duke Magnus is buried here and the monastic community of the Abbey is dissolved. * 1641 - A home for retired and invalid soldiers is founded in the former abbey. It is closed in 1783. * 1795 - A hospital for venereal diseases is founded in the former abbey. It is closed in 1909. * 1810 - A prison is founded in the former nuns' wing. It is closed in 1825. * 1826 - The former nuns' wing is transformed into a lunatic asylum. That is closed in 1951. * 1935 - Sisters of the Order of Saint Bridget open a rest home on the estate. * 1963 - The Monastery of ''Pax Mariæ'' of Saint Bridget is opened. * 1991 - The monastery is raised to the status of an autonomous abbey.

The abbesses of Vadstena

* 1374-1381 :

(not officially installed) * 1381-1385 : Margareta Bosdotter (Oxenstierna) (not officially installed) * 1385-1403 :

(officially installed in 1388) * 1403-1422 :

Gerdeka Hartlevsdotter Gerdeka Hartlevsdotter, or Hartlefsdotter, also called Gerdica (1370–1438), was a Swedish Bridgettine nun. She was the abbess of Vadstena Abbey from 1403 until 1422. Life Gerdeka Hartlevsdotter was the daughter of Hartlev Bolk (d.1390) and Ingebo ...

* 1422-1447 : Bengta Gunnarsdotter * 1447-1452 :

Ingeborg of Holstein Ingeborg of Holstein (1396 – 14 October 1465), was Abbess of Vadstena Abbey 1447-1452 and 1457-1465. She was the daughter of Gerhard VI, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (d. 1404) and Catherine Elisabeth of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1408, she was placed ...

(first time) * 1452-1456 : Katarina Bengtsdotter * 1457-1457 : Katarina Ulfsdotter * 1457-1465 : Ingeborg of Holstein (second time) * 1465-1473 : Katarina Petersdotter * 1473-1486 :

* 1487-1496 :

Anna Paulsdotter Anna Paulsdotter (died 9 October 1500), was a Swedish Bridgettine nun. She was the abbess of Vadstena Abbey from 1486 until 1496. Anna Paulsdotter was accepted to the order in 1456, became the prioress of the nun's part of the abbey in 1473 and the ...

* 1496-1501 : Margareta Thuresdotter * 1501-1518 :

Anna Bülow Anna Fickesdotter (Bülow), (died 1519), was a Swedish writer and translator and abbess of the Bridgittine Vadstena Abbey between 1501–1519. Anna Fickesdotter Bülow was elected abbess of Vadstena convent in 1501 and held that position for e ...

* 1518-1529 :

Anna Germundsdotter Anna Germundsdotter or ''Girmundsdotter'' (Latin; ''Anna Germundi'', died 23 March 1538) was a Swedish writer and Roman Catholic nun of the Bridgettine order and abbess of the Vadstena Abbey from 1518 until 1529. Life Anna Germundsdotter was from S ...

* 1529-1534 :

Katarina Eriksdotter Catherine ( sv, Katarina Eriksdotter; 12th-century) was a Swedish princess, daughter of King Eric the Saint and his queen, Christina of Sweden. Biography She married Nils Blake, who probably was a Swedish magnate. They had a daughter, Kristina ...

* 1534-1539 :

* 1539-1548 : Katarina Mattsdotter (died 1559) * 1548-1553 : Margareta Nilsdotter * 1553-1564 : Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta (first time) * 1564-1565 : Ingegerd Larsdotter * 1565-1593 : Katarina Benktsdotter Gylta (second time) * 1593-1595 :

Katarina Olofsdotter Katarina may refer to: Geography * Katarina-Sofia borough, a borough in central Stockholm * Topol pri Medvodah, a settlement in the Municipality of Medvode, Slovenia, known as Katarina People * Katarina (given name) * Katarina (''Doctor Who''), a ...

References

* *C rlS lfverstolp ( evised by .R. G

ete Ete, Été or ETE may refer to: People * Erik Zabel (born 1970), German cyclist known by the nickname "Ete" * Eteuati Ete, New Zealand actor Other uses * ETE (tokamak) at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil * Ete, Hungary * ...

,
Vadstena kloster
, in ''

Nordisk familjebok ''Nordisk familjebok'' (, "Nordic Family Book") is a Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. Despite their consi ...

'', vol. 31 (1921), col. 263 ff.
Vadstena monastery and city
* Signum svenska kulturhistoria (Swedish ): ''Renässansen'' (2005)

* Carl Silfverstolpe (Swedish) : ''Vadstena klosters uppbörds- och utgiftsbok'' * Wilhelmina Stålberg (Swedish) :'' Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor'' * Lennart Jörälv (Swedish): Reliker och mirakel. Den heliga Birgitta och Vadstena (2003)
(Swedish) Studier i Vadstena klosters och Birgittinordens historia intill midten af 1400-talet microform

Vadstena klosters minnesbok microform (Swedish): Diarium vazstenense

(Swedish) Historiskt bibliotek utgifvet af Carl Silfverstolpe

External links

Website of the Abbey of Mary's Peace, VadstenaWebsite of the Vadstena Klostermuseum
(Vadstena Monastery Museum) {{Authority control

1346 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Sweden 1595 disestablishments in Europe 1963 establishments in Sweden Gothic architecture in Sweden Christian monasteries established in the 14th century 20th-century Christian monasteries Buildings and structures in Östergötland County Monasteries dissolved under the Swedish Reformation Burial sites of the House of Vasa