Esrum Abbey

Esrum Abbey,alsoEsrom Abbey(Danish:EsrumorEsrom Kloster), was the secondCistercianmonastery founded inDenmark,located nearHillerødinRegion Hovedstaden,on the island ofZealand(Sjælland), on the north side of the Esrum Sø (Lake Esrum) nearEsbønderupandGræsted.

History

Monastery

Esrum Abbey began as aBenedictinefoundation, perhaps in about 1140, and was built near a pre-Christian religious site, later called Esrum Spring, where a small woodenstave chapelmay have existed before the abbey was established. The foundation was taken over by the Cistercians in 1151 with the approval of ArchbishopEskil of Lund.It was then counted as a daughter house ofClairvaux.^[1]

Esrum in its turn became the mother house of a number of other important Cistercian foundations:Vitskøl AbbeyandSorø Abbeyin Denmark;Ryd Abbey,now inSchleswig-Holstein;andKołbacz AbbeynearSzczecin.Monks from Esrum also foundedDargun AbbeyinMecklenburgin 1172, but abandoned it after hostile military action in 1198, and the later history of Dargun rests on its re-foundation in 1208 fromDoberan Abbey.The former community from Dargun went on however to foundEldena Abbey.Esrum Abbey burned down in 1194 and again in 1204, resulting in the construction of a new church – a three-aisledbasilicawith transepts and a rectangularchoir– and a monastery built of red brick, the most common building material of the time in the region.^[2]

In 1355 the Queen,Helvig of Schleswig,consort of KingValdemar IV of Denmark(Valdemar Atterdag), became a lay sister at Esrum after being supplanted by King Valdemar's mistress, Tove. The queen was buried in the abbey church, which brought royal gifts of property for the abbey. Her daughter,Margaret I of Denmark,continued Esrum's royal patronage, which attracted increased benefactions from other noble families on Zealand.^[3]

Codex Esromensis

A transcript of a collection of papers of the abbey between 1374 and 1497, consisting mostly of letters, has been preserved inDet Kongelige Bibliotekas the "Codex Esromensis" (Danish:Esrum Klosters Brevbog).^[4]

Dissolution and after

Denmark becameLutheranin 1536 with the adoption of theLutheran Ordinances[Wikidata]by the king and State Council. As a result, Esrum became a crown estate. It was allowed to continue to function as a monastery until 1559, when the remaining 11 monks and the abbot were sent toSorø Abbey.The buildings at Esrum were then largely dismantled for building materials, apparently for use atKronborg Castleto which the abbey estate was given.^{[citation needed]}

In the 17th century the remaining structures were converted into a hunting lodge for the king and his courtiers, and the site was also used as astud farmuntil 1717, after which it became a barracks fordragoonsuntil 1746. From then on the buildings were used for a variety of military and civil administrative offices, becoming the property of the local government administration ofFrederiksborg Amt.^{[citation needed]}

DuringWorld War IIthe site was temporarily used as a secure storage site for theDanish National Archives.Immediately after the war, it was used to houseLatvianrefugees.^{[citation needed]}

Present-day

The site and structures were thoroughly restored in 1996. The surviving buildings – the south wing of the conventual buildings and a watermill – have received protected status as a national historic monument and are now used as a museum and a school for the study of nature and the environment. A number of other leisure facilities and activities are also provided, including medieval re-enactments.^[5]

Legends

A number of legends survive concerning the abbey.

Brother Daniel

One, about Brother Daniel, a monk at Esrum, illustrates the connection between religious houses. Brother Daniel fell ill and sent word to Abbot Vilhelm ofÆbelholt Abbey.Abbot Vilhelm laid his hand upon Daniel and told him to drink from the sacred spring at Esrum by which Daniel was healed. Thereafter the spring was believed to have healing power, especially for gout, rashes, and headaches.^{[citation needed]}

Brother Rus

Another well-known legend from Esrum is the story of Brother Rus, a disguise Satan took in order to infiltrate the abbey as its cook. He ingratiated himself with the monks by bringing women into the monastic enclosure and serving the brothers meat.^[6]

King Valdemar

Another story is that Esrum Abbey came into conflict with KingValdemar I,who, in order to complete the construction ofGurre Castle,forced the monks at Esrum to work as construction labourers, much to the abbot's disapproval. When Valdemar died in that castle, his soul was condemned to hunt forever through the fields round about.^{[citation needed]}

Cheese

The cheese known asEsrumor Esrom is named after this monastery.^[7]

Notes and references

^"Arkebiskop Eskil"(PDF).Historisk Tidsskrift, Bind 14. række, 2 (1981).RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
^"Esrum Abbey - History".esrum.dk.RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
^"Valdemar Atterdag".Dansk biografisk Lexikon.RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
^"Esrum Klosters Brevbog".Lund University Libraries.RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
^Vatanen, Henri (2019-06-07)."Esrum Abbey | A taste of medieval life".Scan Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 2024-09-28.Retrieved2024-09-28.
^McGuire, Brian Patrick (1982).The Cistercians in Denmark: their attitudes, roles, and functions in medieval society.Internet Archive. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications. p. 9.ISBN 978-0-87907-835-5.
^Sicard, Tristan (2020-09-15).A Field Guide to Cheese: How to Select, Enjoy, and Pair the World's Best Cheeses.Artisan Books. p. 107.ISBN 978-1-57965-941-7.

Other sources

Andreas Christian Anton Kierulf (1838)Esrom Klosters Historie(Kjøbenhavn, Reitzel)

External links

Esrum Kloster official website(in Danish)
Arkitekturguide.dk: Esrum kloster(in Danish)
Esrum Abbey - in: CISTOPEDIA - Encyclopædia Cisterciensis

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States