Solberga Abbey
Encyclopedia
Solberga Abbey was a Cistercian nunnery in Sweden
, in operation from 1246 until at least 1469. It was located outside Visby
on Gotland
until 1404, and then in Visby. It was the only nunnery ot the island of Gotland.
Solberga Abbey was likely a daughter convent of Vreta Abbey
. On 12 August 1246, Bishop Laurentius of Linköping mentions that the first nuns had been sent to Gotland
, were Solberga was the only nunnery on the island. In contrast to what was previously believed, Solberga was a large convent with many members. It had both an abbess
and a prioress. In 1361, many fallen from the Battle of Visby
was buried on the abbey's land, were a cross, which still stands, was erected.
The abbey was presumably destroyed by the war between the Victual Brothers
, the Teutonic Knights
and the forces of the Kalmar Union
in 1398-1403. In 1404, the abbess applied for help from the Master of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, then in control of Gotland, to found a new abbey. The nuns were allowed to reside in the St. Jacob chapel in Visby, where they lived until they moved in to St. Gertrud chapel in Visby in 1469, then described as the diminished nuns of Visby. During the 15-th century, the nuns were still, event though no longer in residence at Solberga, referred to as the Solberga nuns.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in operation from 1246 until at least 1469. It was located outside Visby
Visby
-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...
on Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
until 1404, and then in Visby. It was the only nunnery ot the island of Gotland.
Solberga Abbey was likely a daughter convent of Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey
Vreta Abbey, Swedish Vreta Kloster, in operation from the beginning of the 12th century to 1582, was the first nunnery in Sweden, initially Benedictine and later Cistercian, and one of the oldest in Scandinavia. It was located in the municipality of Linköping in Östergötland.- History :The exact...
. On 12 August 1246, Bishop Laurentius of Linköping mentions that the first nuns had been sent to Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, were Solberga was the only nunnery on the island. In contrast to what was previously believed, Solberga was a large convent with many members. It had both an abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
and a prioress. In 1361, many fallen from the Battle of Visby
Battle of Visby
The Battle of Visby was fought in 1361 near the town of Visby on the island of Gotland, between the forces of the Danish king and the Gutnish country yeomen. The Danish force was victorious.-Background:...
was buried on the abbey's land, were a cross, which still stands, was erected.
The abbey was presumably destroyed by the war between the Victual Brothers
Victual Brothers
The Victual Brothers were a companionship of privateers who later turned to piracy. They were hired in 1392 by the Dukes of Mecklenburg to fight against Denmark, because the Danish Queen Margaret I had imprisoned Albrecht of Mecklenburg and his son in order to subdue the kingdom of Sweden...
, the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
and the forces of the Kalmar Union
Kalmar Union
The Kalmar Union is a historiographical term meaning a series of personal unions that united the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway , and Sweden under a single monarch, though intermittently and with a population...
in 1398-1403. In 1404, the abbess applied for help from the Master of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, then in control of Gotland, to found a new abbey. The nuns were allowed to reside in the St. Jacob chapel in Visby, where they lived until they moved in to St. Gertrud chapel in Visby in 1469, then described as the diminished nuns of Visby. During the 15-th century, the nuns were still, event though no longer in residence at Solberga, referred to as the Solberga nuns.