Sorø Abbey was the preeminent and wealthiest monastic house in all of
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. It was located in the town of
Sorø in central
Zealand.
After Denmark became Lutheran in 1536, the abbey was confiscated by
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
. The abbey was turned into the
Sorø Academy in 1623, an educational institution that has served as a
knight academy
Knight academies were first established in Western European states in the late 16th century. They prepared aristocratic youth for state and military service. It added to the hitherto rudimentary education of the aristocratic youth natural science, ...
, a venue for higher learning during the
Danish Golden Age
The Danish Golden Age () covers a period of exceptional creative production in Denmark, especially during the first half of the 19th century.Kulturnet DanmarkGuide to the Danish Golden Age Although Copenhagen had suffered from fires, Battle of Co ...
. It survives to date as a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
.
History
The Sorø Abbey was founded by the brothers ''
Ebbe Skjalmsen Hvide'' and ''
Asser Rig (Hvide)'', who were sons of
Skjalm Hvide. They were
Zealand's most powerful nobles when in 1140 they founded and in 1142 consecrated the abbey.
[Dansk Biografiske Lexicon.]
Near
Sorø,
Ebbe also erected the
Bjernede Church, and
Asser
Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh people, Welsh monk from St David's, Kingdom of Dyfed, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne (ancient), Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join ...
established a
Benedictine House, just a few years prior to his death in 1151. Asser then lived as a monk for the last years of his life.
It was common practice for wealthy and powerful individuals and families to found religious houses, most typically for the following reasons: Expiation of a sinful life; to gain a stage to arrange commemorative and religious masses and events; to have a venue to provide services for the poor; or just out of religious zeal or devotion; or for any combination of the above.
Asser Rig's son,
Absalon, became a powerful warrior bishop of Zealand and advisor to several Danish kings. In a move to reform Sorø, Bishop Absalon replaced the Benedictine monks with
Cistercian
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...
monks from
Esrum Abbey in 1161. The Cistercians went to work on building the abbey's church and monastery, using a new building material; large, red bricks. The technology and style for this had been imported from northern Germany.
One of Absalon's friends, Peder Strang, endowed the abbey with enough land to make it financially solvent. From that time forward, the Sorø abbey acquired property all over Denmark, with an income larger than that of the Danish royal family.
[Sorø Kloster.www.da.wikipedia.org]
The abbey church became a burial site for the earthly remains of members of the noble
Hvide family. The corpse of Absalon was buried behind the church's main altar. The corpses of three Danish kings were buried there;
Christopher II,
Valdemar IV Atterdag, and
Oluf II. The corpse of
Queen Margaret I was also buried there but was later moved to
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral (), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark.
The cathedral is one of the most important churches in D ...
. Margaret's successor,
Erik of Pomerania, was at Sorø Abbey during the
first bombardment of Copenhagen in April 1428. Today, the church remains an excellent example of early Gothic brick architecture.
In 1247, much of the abbey burned down. The abbey remained in ruins for about ten years. A gift from the widow Ingeborg Strangessen allowed the rebuilding of the abbey, which now became to include arched vaults.
Reformation in Denmark
After Denmark officially became Lutheran in 1536, the abbey – a property of the Catholic Church – was confiscated by
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
.
After a stint as an institution for Protestant monks, the abbey was transformed into the
Sorø Academy, an educational institution that served a variety of forms, including a boarding school for noble and commoner boys during the era of
Frederick II.
The abbey was then turned into a knight academy by
Christian IV, and became a venue for higher learning for a period during the Danish Golden Age.
Since 1623, what became known as the Sorø Academy has existed as a boarding school and
gymnasium on the former abbey complex.
See also
*
Abbey Gate (Sorø)
References
*''Dansk Biografiske Lexicon''
*''Middlealders Cisterciensere i Danmark''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorø Abbey
Cistercian monasteries in Denmark
Monasteries dissolved under the Danish Reformation
Burial sites of European royal families
Burial sites of the House of Estridsen
Burial sites of the House of Bjälbo