Essenbæk Abbey (') was a

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 ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

located in Essenbæk Parish eight kilometers east of

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().Assentoft Assentoft is a Denmark, Danish town on the peninsula of Jutland with a population of 3,956 in 2025. The town is located eight kilometers east of Randers,Stadsarkitektens Kontor (2011). ''Assentoft & Drastrup:'' ''Landsbyregistreringen 2011''. http: ...

, Denmark.

History

Early history

The monastery was established by (

Hvide The Hvide clan (English: ''Whites'') was a medieval Danish clan, and afterwards in early modern era a Danish noble surname of presumably one surviving branch of leaders of that clan. Before the 16th century it was not used as a surname. It sign ...

), who was killed in 1151,Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 18 perhaps as a

Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...

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 ...

in or near Randers. In 1179 it was changed, as the

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of Evangelical counsels, poverty, chastity, and obedience in the Enclosed religious orders, enclosure of a monastery or convent.' ...

apparently transferred to the Abbey of Our Lady in Randers, and was moved the next year to the east of the

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ("little ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or groun ...

of Holmen in Essenbæk Parish,Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 848 from which it took its name.Rasmussen, Poul (1958). ''Essenbæk Klosters jordegods i Sønder Hald herred'' in ''HISTORISK AARBOG FRA RANDERS AMT 1958''. Randers, Denmark; Randers Amts historiske Samfund, p. 20 It is said that the founder and his wife Margrethe were buried in the monastery church. The ''

Annals of Essenbæk The ''Annals of Essenbæk'' (Latin: ''Annales Essenbecenses'') are annals with historical notices relating to the years 1020–1323, which seem to have been written in the Benedictine Essenbæk Abbey.Skov, p. 101 The text Characterization Mu ...

'', with historical notices regarding the years 1020–1323, seem to have been written in Essenbæk Abbey, which was the only monastery in

Djursland Djursland () is a 1,417 km2 hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, which its ...

until the 20th century.Lorenzen, Vilhelm (1933). ''De danske benediktinerklostres bygningshistorie''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gad, p. 96 In 1330

Stig Andersen Hvide Stig Andersen Hvide (died December 1293) was a Danish nobleman and magnate, known as the leading man among the outlaws after the murder of King Eric V of Denmark. In Danish tradition, he is known as ''Marsk Stig''. Biography In spite of his surna ...

gave the abbey a farm in Egens Parish for burial placesMøller, Mogens (2016). ''Grenå og omegn under fremmede herrer''. Copenhagen, Denmark; BoD – Books on Demand, p. 155 in the monastic church for himself and his wife Tove Andersdatter, and in 1369 was buried there, as in due course was his wife. On 28 September 1403 the monastery was referred to as “

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

’s monastery in Æssumbæk of the

Order of St Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

”, and some of the monastery's income was from pilgrims who on

Saint John's Eve Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, feast day of Saint John the Baptist. This is one of the very few feast days marking a saint's birth, rather than their death. The Gospel of Luke ...

went on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 9 to the

well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

of Saint Lawrence (''Sankt Laurseskilde'') below Assentoft.Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. TRAP: DANMARK. FEMTE UDGAVE''. ''REDIGERET AF NIELS NIELSEN • PETER SKAUTRUP • THERKEL MATHIASSEN. RANDERS AMT. BIND VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 849 In 1431 the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

ordered the

monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

to let the

bishop of Viborg The Diocese of Viborg is a diocese within the Church of Denmark, covering the western part of central Jutland. Viborg Cathedral in the city of Viborg, Denmark, Viborg serves as the seat of the diocese's bishop. The diocese has the highest ratio ...

examine the qualifications of the abbot they had elected, before the bishop ordained him. Much wealth and property was donated to the monastery, particularly by the

clan, so that in time it owned all the lands in Essenbæk Parish, almost all those in Virring Parish, and additional estates in the parishes of Albæk, Bregnet, Dalbyover, Egens, Egå, Fausing, Fløjstrup, Gimming, Gjesing, Glesborg, Harridslev, Homå, Hornslet, Hørning, Kastbjerg, Lime, Mariager, Mejlby, Mørke, Rimsø, Skødstrup, Tøstrup, Udbyneder, Voldby, Ødum, and Årslev, as well as in the hundreds of Hjelmslev, Houlbjerg, and Middelsom. The monastery's assets in Sønderhald HundredRasmussen, Poul (1958). ''Essenbæk Klosters jordegods i Sønder Hald herred'' in ''HISTORISK AARBOG FRA RANDERS AMT 1958''. Randers, Denmark; Randers Amts historiske Samfund, p. 21 included the '' birk'' or market place of Essenbæk, with a legal jurisdiction independent of the hundred, from no later than 9 August 1475. For six farms the monastery in 1516 bought itself free from the obligation of

billeting In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

, and in 1518 the king owed the monastery 38 weights (0.56 kilograms) of silver and 25

Rhenish guilder The Rhenish ''gulden'' or Rhenish ''guilder'' (; ) was a gold, standard currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries. They weighed between 3.4 and 3.8 grams (). History The Rhenish gold ''gulden'' was created when the Prince- ...

s.Hansen, Karl (1832). ''Danske Ridderborge, beskrevne tildeels efter utrykte Kilder''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Hofboghandler Beekens Forlag, p. 138 In 1525 it was assessed to raise from its estate two horsemen for domestic service, and two horsemen as well as two riflemen for foreign service. Despite the abbey's wealth the king declared on 5 September 1529Erslev, Kristian (1879). ''DANMARKS LEN OG LENSMÆND I DET SEXTENDE AARHUNDREDE (1513-1596)''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Jacob Erslevs Forlag, p. 154 that the courtier was elected by the monks as its custodian until his death, rather than the infirm abbot, since “the monastery’s estate is daily won from it, and the brothers for a long time have not gotten their necessities according to their rule’s exercise”. At the same time Emmiksen was named as

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

there by the king, who probably prompted the electionDaugaard, Jacob Brøgger (1830). ''Om de danske klostre i middelalderen''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Andreas Seidelin, p. 407 rather than the monks themselves. In the monastery's home farm alone there were then 20

oxen An ox (: oxen), also known as a bullock (in BrE, British, AusE, Australian, and IndE, Indian English), is a large bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castration, castrated adult male cattle, because castration i ...

with two

plough A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden ...

s, 27 large and small

steers Steers may refer to: * Steer (cow) or bullock, castrated male cattle * Steers (restaurant), a South African restaurant chain * Steers (surname) * Steers (island), a former island of Indonesia * Kansas City Steers, American former basketball team ...

, 42 cows, 26 heifers and young cattle, 100 sheep, 53 pigs, eight old nags, and 13 young nags and yearlings (year-old

colts Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States * Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United State ...

and

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, th ...

Modern history

A monk from the abbey was beheaded in 1537 for rape, and in 1540 the monastery was confiscated by the king.Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 11 Around that time it was mortgaged to for 3,000

dollars Dollar is the name of more than 25 currencies. The United States dollar, named after the international currency known as the Spanish dollar, was established in 1792 and is the first so named that still survives. Others include the Australian d ...

– a sum that in 1546 had been increased to 4,000 dollars. The monks left the monastery early, and on 3 April 1548 the king decided that it should be a part of Queen Dorothea’s

jointure Jointure was a legal concept used largely in late mediaeval and early modern Britain, denoting the estate given to a married couple by the husband's family. One of its most important functions was providing a livelihood for the wife if she became ...

. He therefore paid the mortgage, but later she received

Sønderborg (; ) is a Denmark, Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 28,333 (1 January 2025),Nordborg Nordborg (), is a town with a population of 5,680 (1 January 2025),Mehlsen, Ejnar (1919). ''Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Aarbog udgivet af Randers Amts Historiske Samfund. Årgang 13. 52-60''. Randers, Denmark: Randers Amts Historiske Samfund, p. 54 and his wife Margrethe moved to Dronningborg Castle, and Bjørn Andersen, who owned , had the bodies of Stig Andersen Hvide and his wife Tove Andersdatter moved to Ørsted Church. In 1558 Chancellery Secretary registered nearly 100 letters from Essenbæk Abbey in

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Danish National Archives The Danish National Archives () is the national archive system of Denmark. Its primary purpose is to collect, preserve and archive historically valuable records from central authorities, such as ministries, agencies and national organisations and ...

, but the others are since lost. It is not known when the monastery was demolished, but in 1593 the local judicial district bailiff Rasmus Pedersen resided in Essenbæk Home Farm on the west of Holmen, which may imply that the monastery was probably uninhabitable by then. The church bell was taken to Old Essenbæk Church. On 22 August 1661 the monastery was acquired among other property from the king by Hans Friis, and that estate then included a

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

which was possibly a remnant of the monastery's church. On 20 December 1687 the judicial district was incorporated into Sønderhald Hundred. The teacher Karl Hansen wrote in 1832 that there were no remains of the monastery,Hansen, Karl (1832). ''Danske Ridderborge, beskrevne tildeels efter utrykte Kilder''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Hofboghandler Beekens Forlag, p. 131 but in 1894 a piece of solid wall was found on the west of the mound known as Kirkegaarden (''the Churchyard'') on Holmen, which was then being surveyed for the

National Museum of Denmark The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark, Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from S ...

. The teacher J. V. Nissen led an excavation in 1898 for the National Museum of Denmark, during which among other things remains of the monastery church were unearthed,Mehlsen, Ejnar (1919). ''Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Aarbog udgivet af Randers Amts Historiske Samfund. Årgang 13. 52-60''. Randers, Denmark: Randers Amts Historiske Samfund, pp. 52-53 and the National Museum of Denmark therefore had the site listed for

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

of the site. Kirkegaarden's owner began however in 1918 to remove stones from the site,Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 13 since the preservation had not been written into his title deed or mortgage records,Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 79 so in 1925 the architect I. P. Hjersing mapped what remained before that too was removed. The same year the owner found a stone-lined well there, and many skeletons around it.

Known abbots

* Peder - 1345Hansen, Karl (1832). ''Danske Ridderborge, beskrevne tildeels efter utrykte Kilder''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Hofboghandler Beekens Forlag, p. 136 * Lars – 3 April 1396 * Jens – 28 September 1403 * Mikkel - 1421, 17 July 1423, 4 September 1424 * Laurids - 1438 * Søren - 1463 * Per Niels – 1 February 1479 * Jonas - 1490 * Jens Thommesen/Thomæsøn - 1516, 1518, 5 September 1529

Location and structure

Holmen is mostly sandy soil between bog and meadow south of

Randers Fjord Randers Fjord is a long Danish fjord in Northern Europe leading to the sea of Kattegat, between Denmark and Sweden. The fjord is the outlet from Denmark's longest river, Gudenå. The upper , starting at the town Randers, looks more like a broad ...

. Kirkegaarden in 1894 measured about two '' alen'' (1.26 meter) high, about 37 ''alen'' (23.23 meters) from north to south, and about 50 ''alen'' (31.39 meters) from east to west. The excavation in 1898 unearthed a foundation of unworked

boulders In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

between one and two

feet The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up of ...

high (0.31 to 0.63 meter) and four and a half feet thick (1.41 meter), to a depth of 130 centimeters below the surface of the earth, which in several places was laid around driven down oak piles. Down to 85 centimeters below the surface of the earth on top of the foundation there were the remains of a wall core of smaller

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

s and

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

fragments in a great deal of lime, which was covered with large medieval bricks. When the monastery was demolished, the large medieval bricks were first removed, after which the wall core was toppled outward. Until then parts of the toppled wall were up to 7 ''alen'' (4.39 meters) high, but on top there were probably

courses Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

entirely of brick.Mehlsen, Ejnar (1919). ''Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Aarbog udgivet af Randers Amts Historiske Samfund. Årgang 13. 52-60''. Randers, Denmark: Randers Amts Historiske Samfund, p. 53 The foundation was of the north-eastern corner of a building, which ended flat to the east, and inside extended in either direction. Nearby remains indicated that the foundation continued towards the north from the building's north-west, which is why the building was thought to be the church's

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

. The mapping in 1925 indicated that the foundation north of the church chancel was of the monastery's east wing, 49 meters long and 10 meters wide, which was divided into four rooms, of which the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

was apparently nearest the church. The mapping further indicated that the east wing was built to adjoin the monastery's north wing, in which there was probably an open

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

about two and a half ''alen'' (1.57 meters wide). The monastery's west wing was indicated, and between the wings was a courtyard that was open towards the south, with a stone-lined well in the middle surrounded by buried skeletons. Directly in front of the courtyard was another stone-lined well, this one with stairs. Altogether the monastery measured about 57 meters from north to south and 47 meters from east to west. In 1529 the monastery contained a kitchen, priest's kitchen,

scullery A scullery is a room in a house, traditionally used for washing up dishes and laundering clothes, or as an overflow kitchen. Tasks performed in the scullery include cleaning dishes and cooking utensils (or storing them), occasional kitchen work, ...

, basement, a food loft and a

granary A granary, also known as a grain house and historically as a granarium in Latin, is a post-harvest storage building primarily for grains or seeds. Granaries are typically built above the ground to prevent spoilage and protect the stored grains o ...

, besides probably rooms for labourers and guests, and the monastery owned a home farm with a flour house. On a patch of heavy boulders to the north stood a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

, and curved round the east of the monastery was a water-filled ditch. To the south-west was its

fish pond A fish pond or fishpond is a controlled pond, small artificial lake or retention basin that is stocked with fish and is used in aquaculture for fish farming, for recreational fishing, or for ornamental purposes. Fish ponds are a classical g ...

. From the monastery a road led across the bog to a flat space of about 40 square meters at the bottom of the Lausdal

gully A gully is a landform A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given ter ...

, where at the Well of Saint Lawrence there was a stone wall, and where in 1850 was found a 10 ''alen'' (6.28 meters) long

tree pump In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated Plant stem, stem, or trunk (botany), trunk, usually supporting Branch, branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only Bark (botan ...

. At the beginning of the 18th century skeletons in walled graves vaulted at the top were found here, which consequently was the monastery's graveyard, and again late in the 18th century as well as in 1849. Through the meadow the road was paved with smaller

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...

s and large rim stones, but from there wound as a

sunken lane A sunken lane (also hollow way or holloway) is a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side, not formed by the (recent) engineering of a road cutting but possibly of much greater age. Holloways may have been formed i ...

up through the heather hills at Assentoft. A stone-lined road also led through the meadow from the monastery to its loading port by Gudenåen. On the clay hill Mondal south of the bog, and east of Lausdal, remains of large medieval bricks indicate that the bricks for the monastery and its brick-lined graves were produced in a

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or Yard (land), yard where bricks are made, pottery firing, fired, and stored, or sometimes Commerce, sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed ...

there.

Anna Krabbe’s Columns

Two granite columns three and a half meters highCaspersen, Erling (1977). ''Det forsvundne Essenbæk Kloster'' in ''Årsskrift 1977''. Auning, Denmark; Lokalhistorisk Forening for Sønderhald Kommune, p. 24Strange, Preben (1985). ''Flere søjler fra Essenbæk kloster'' in ''Årsskrift 1985''. Auning, Denmark; Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 24 from the park at Stenalt were taken in 1804 across the frozen Randers FjordForeningen HistoriskAtlas.dk (2005). ''AnnaKrabbes Søjler''. http://historiskatlas.dk/Anna_Krabbes_S%C3%B8jler_(8578) etrieved 2016-10-29/ref> to Dronningborg.Sørensen, Lone Hammer (14.06.2016). ''Assentoft kæmper for at få antikke søjler hjem fra Randers'' in ''Randers Amtsavis''. Randers, Denmark; Jysk Fynske Medier There a local farmer used one as a roller, but in 1870 the columns were bought by Randers Municipality, which in 1872 had them erected in Tøjhushaven in Randers. Carved on the columns is the date "1589", a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

and the initials "FAK". The coat of arms belonged to the family of lady (''fruen'') Anna Krabbe, and the date probably refers to the year they were erected at Stenalt, which she then owned. Anna Krabbe collected antiquities, and is said to have had the columns brought there from Essenbæk Abbey. Probably the columns were quarried in the fourth century in Egypt, and thereafter stood in a

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

building. How they came to Essenbæk is unknown, but they were probably incorporated in Essenbæk Abbey when it was built, with new

capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

from Denmark added.Strange, Preben (1985). ''Flere søjler fra Essenbæk kloster'' in ''Årsskrift 1985''. Auning, Danmark; Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 25

References

{{Reflist 1140s establishments in Europe 12th century in Denmark 1548 disestablishments in Europe Archaeological sites in Denmark Benedictine monasteries in Denmark Former religious buildings and structures in Denmark Religion in Aarhus