Agnes Jónsdóttir (died 1507) was a prioress and later the

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

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 ...

Reynistathir abbey 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 ...

from 1461 until her death in 1507. She succeeded Þóra Finnsdóttir/Barbara who was ordained as a nun with her in 1431. Agnes Jónsdóttir was the daughter of Búland county magistrate Jón Jónsson within the municipality of Húnaþing. Her brothers were Ásgrimur Jónsson, the 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. ...

cloister, and Þorvaldur at Móberg who was the father of Björg, the second wife of the lawyer Jón Sigmundsson. Agnes became the prioress upon Þóra's death but it is not clear when exactly she became inaugurated as abbess. She allegedly did not want to bend herself to the will of the bishop of

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 ...

, Ólafur Rögnvaldsson, and she tried to hire Þorleifur Árnason of

Glaumbær Glaumbær is an Icelandic town and church site in the middle of Langholt, west of Héraðsvötn in Skagafjörður, formerly a part of the rural municipality Seyluhreppur. It is now home to the Skagafjörður Folk Museum. History The Glaumbær ...

against Ólafur's wishes. However, these plans did not materialize and she was reprimanded by the bishop. The convent's overseer later became Jón Þorvaldsson, Agnes’ nephew, who eventually served as the abbot at Þingeyrar. At the turn of the 16th century, the nuns comprised, in addition to Abbess Agnes, Guðbjörg Pálsdóttir, Helga Þorkelsdóttir, Steinvör Guðólfsdóttir, Þorgerður Jónsdóttir, Þórdís (Agnes's niece), and

Solveig Rafnsdóttir Solveig Rafnsdóttir (1470–1561 or 1563), was the last abbess of the Reynistaðarklaustur, an Abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict on Iceland. Life Solveig Rafnsdóttir was the daughter of the elderman of Iceland, Hrafn Brandsson, and Margrét ...

. Agnes died at an advanced age in 1507 and Solveig Rafnsdóttir succeeded her as the last abbess of Reynistathir.

Sources

*„„Reynistaðarklaustur“. Tímarit Hins íslenska bókmenntafélags, 8. árg. 1887.“, *„„Reynistaðarklaustur“. Sunnudagsblað Tímans, 6. ágúst 1967.“, *Sigríður Gunnarsdóttir: Nunnuklaustrið að Reynistað. Smárit Byggðasafns Skagfirðinga.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnes Jonsdottir 15th-century Icelandic women 15th-century Icelandic people 16th-century Icelandic women 16th-century Icelandic people 16th-century Christian nuns 1507 deaths Year of birth missing Benedictine abbesses 15th-century Christian nuns 16th-century Roman Catholic nuns