Þóra Finnsdóttir
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Þóra Finnsdóttir (1408 – around 1460) was the prioress of the
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
named Reynistathir Abbey (Reynistaðarklaustur) in
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
, serving since the death of the previous prioress,
Þórunn Ormsdóttir Thorunn Ormsdottir (''Þórunn Ormsdóttir''; died 1431) was the abbess of the Benedictine convent Reynistaðarklaustur in Iceland 1402–1431. Thorunn Ormsdottir assumed the position of abbess and took the responsibility of the convent and its ...
. She became the abbess on August 25, 1437, when she was ordained by bishop of
Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established ...
Gozewijn Comhaer. An exemption had to be made for Þóra because she was only 29 years old when her predecessor died, and abbesses had to be at least 30 years old to be ordained.


Biography

Þóra came from a wealthy family. Her parents were Finnur Gamlason, a lawyer in Ysta-Mói in
Fljót Fljót is the northernmost district on the east side of Skagafjörður, Iceland. It is divided into Eastern and Western and extends from river in the west to the county's border with Eyjafjörður county in the east. In the north of , the bou ...
, and his wife Valgerður Vilhjálmsdóttir. Her uncles were Jón Gamlason, abbot of
Þingeyrar Þingeyrar (Thingøre in some older texts) is a farm in Iceland's Northwestern Region. It lies adjacent to the sandy coastal plain of Þingeyrasandur (or Thingøresand), between the Skagi and Vatnsnes peninsulas and just northeast of lake Hóp. ...
, and Marteinn Gamlason, county magistrate in Ketilsstaðir of Vellir. Þóra was one of the eight nuns who Jón Vilhjálmsson Craxton ordained at
Hólar Hólar (; also Hólar í Hjaltadal ) is a small community in the Skagafjörður district of northern Iceland. Location Hólar is in the valley Hjaltadalur, some from the national capital of Reykjavík. It has a population of around 100. It is t ...
on February 4, 1431. Around the same time that she became prioress, the convent received a windfall. Margrét Bjarnadóttir, widow of the lawyer Hrafn Guðmundsson, joined the convent and brought a substantial amount of wealth. In addition, she gave land to the church of Hólar to lay to rest her husband, who was excommunicated when he died. It is likely that Þóra had taken the saint's name of Barbara when she was ordained because sources from the 1440s and 1450s refer to Barbara the Abbess but no sources mention her ordination or Þóra's death, so it seems that they are the same person. In fact, it is not entirely certain when Þóra/Barbara died. She was alive in 1459 but a new prioress,
Agnes Jónsdóttir Agnes Jónsdóttir (died 1507) was a prioress and later the abbess of the Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine convent Reynistaðarklaustur, Reynistathir abbey in Iceland from 1461 until her death in 1507. She succeeded Þóra Finnsdóttir/Barba ...
, had arrived by 1461.


References


Sources

*"Reynistaðarklaustur". Tímarit Hins íslenska bókmenntafélags, 8. árg. 1887. *"Reynistaðarklaustur". Sunnudagsblað Tímans, 6. ágúst 1967“. *Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir: Nunnuklaustrið að Reynistað. Smárit Byggðasafns Skagfirðinga. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pora Finnisdottir 15th-century Icelandic women 15th-century Icelandic people 15th-century Christian nuns 1460 deaths Year of birth missing Benedictine abbesses