St. Agnes' Priory (''Sankt Agnetekloster'') was a Danish convent for women of the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

. It was situated in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

and was in operation from 1264 until the

Danish Reformation Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A Danish person, also called a "Dane", can be a national or citizen of Denmark (see Demographics of Denmark) * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, ...

History

In 1264, St. Agnes' Priory was founded north of the city outside the walls. Princess

Agnes of Denmark Agnes of Denmark (1249 – after 1290) was the youngest daughter of Eric IV of Denmark and his wife Jutta of Saxony. She was the official founder of the St. Agnes' Priory, Roskilde, becoming prioress there. Life Agnes lost her father at the ag ...

(1249–ca. 1288) served as its first prioress from 1264–1266. Her sister

Jutta of Denmark Jutta of Denmark also known as ''Judith'' (1246-1286/95) was a daughter of Eric IV of Denmark and his wife Jutta of Saxony. She was a younger sister of Queen Sophia of Sweden, and Queen Ingeborg of Norway, as well as an older sister of Agnes. J ...

(ca. 1246–1284) was prioress in 1266–1270. Princess Agnes and Jutta were both daughters of King Erik Plovpenning (ca. 1216–1250). Both princesses were placed in the convent by Queen

Margaret Sambiria Margaret Sambiria (, ' or '; c. 1230 – December 1282) was Queen of Denmark by marriage to King Christopher I, and regent during the minority of her son, King Eric V from 1259 until 1264. She is the first woman confirmed to have formally rule ...

(1230–1282) while she served as regent during the minority of her son, King

Eric V of Denmark Eric V Klipping (1249 – 22 November 1286) was King of Denmark from 1259 to 1286. After his father Christopher I died, his mother Margaret Sambiria ruled Denmark in his name until 1266, proving to be a competent regent. Between 1261 and 1262, ...

(1249–1286). The sisters brought with them their inheritance, including several large properties. The sisters disliked life as nuns and both left the convent in 1270. They retracted their property and afterwards the courts heard the complaints of the nuns' legal representatives. Finally, a court ruling in 1284 ordered the crown to hand over the inheritance to the sisters. King Erik Menved donated a large property including a mill to the nuns in 1295. The monastery eventually acquired properties in numerous Zealand villages. St. Agnes' Priory became a rich institution with members normally from the highest Danish nobility. At its height there was room to house 30 nuns. The priory seemed to attract more financial support than the neighboring Dominican Monastery of St. Catherine's Priory, Roskilde. It eventually owned more than 70 farms in

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

, which had been donated for maintenance and income. The priory also owned two bath houses in the town as additional income properties.

Dissolution

The

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

brought the nunnery at Roskilde to an end. The properties of the nuns were confiscated as early as 1527. In 1536 Denmark became officially

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

, rejecting all

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

institutions and most traditions. In 1572, St. Agnes' Priory and its holding came under the control of

Tryggevælde Tryggevælde is a manor house and estate in Faxe Municipality, some fifty kilometres southwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. The estate was a royal fief until the middle of the 18th century and was later owned by the Moltke family at Bregentved from 175 ...

References

External links

Skt. Agnete Kloster history
{{Authority control Dominican monasteries in Denmark 1264 establishments in Europe Dominican convents Buildings and structures in Region Zealand History of Roskilde 13th-century establishments in Denmark Monasteries dissolved under the Danish Reformation