Guldholm Abbey (german: Güldenholm) was a short-lived

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monastery on the Langsee near Böklund, formerly in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, now in

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It was founded in 1191 and abandoned after less than twenty years; some of the community went on to establish

Ryd Abbey Ryd Abbey or Rüde Abbey ( da, Ryd Kloster; german: Rüdekloster; la, Rus regis) was a Cistercian monastery in Munkbrarup that formerly occupied the present site of Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg on the Flensburg Fjord in the Schleswig-Flensbu ...

History

Guldholm was located on a peninsula of land in the Langsee lake ( da, Langsø) near the

Schlei The Schlei (; da, Slien, also ''Slesvig Fjord''e.g. in: Adolph Frederik Bergsøe: ''Den danske stats statistik'', Kjøbenhavn 1844, p. 156) (more often referred to in English as the Sly Firth) is a narrow inlet of the Baltic Sea in Schleswig-H ...

( da, Slien) owned by Bishop Valdemar (1158-1236), an illegitimate son of King

Canute V of Denmark Canute V Magnussen ( da, Knud V Magnussen) ( – 9 August 1157) was a King of Denmark from 1146 to 1157, as co-regent in shifting alliances with Sweyn III and Valdemar I. Canute was killed at the so-called ''Bloodfeast of Roskilde'' in 1157. Noth ...

, and

Bishop of Schleswig The List of the Bishops of Schleswig contains the names of the bishops of the see in Schleswig ( da, Slesvig, en, italic=yes, Sleswick) in chronological order. Also Lutheran bishops, who officiated after 1542, superintendents and general superint ...

from 1184 to 1191. When he received reports of immorality, drunkenness and disorderly conduct at St. Michael's Abbey in

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

, an ancient

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

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 ...

, his solution was to remove the monks to a remote and less comfortable location, for which Guldholm seemed highly suitable. The monks were therefore apparently transferred there in 1191 to begin work on a new monastery which at the same time was put under the new and strict Cistercian reform, with its emphasis on manual labour. Bishop Valdemar however was imprisoned in 1193 after a failed attempt to oust Duke Valdemar (later King

Valdemar II Valdemar (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious (), was the King of Denmark (being Valdemar II) from 1202 until his death in 1241. Background He was the second son of King Valdemar I of Denmark and Sophi ...

) of Denmark. Without his supervision the new foundation at Guldholm was abandoned after a few years. The remains of the community went north to the banks of the Flensborg Fjord near the hamlet of Ryd and began work on a new Cistercian monastery,

('' Ryd Kloster'') in 1210.

References

Cistercian monasteries in Germany Cistercian monasteries in Denmark Monasteries in Schleswig-Holstein Christian monasteries established in the 12th century {{Christian-monastery-stub