Munkeby Abbey

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Munkeby Abbey church ruins
Munkeby Abbey church ruins

Munkeby Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near Okkenhaug in Levanger near Trondheim, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.

Contents

[edit] History

It was founded sometime between 1150 and 1180, and was the most northerly Cistercian foundation in the world. Possibly, like Hovedøya Abbey and Lyse Abbey, Munkeby's foundation was carried out by English monks. In 1207 Tautra Abbey was founded, and either then or at some point in the 13th century the community and assets of Munkeby were transferred to the new foundation, of which Munkeby apparently then became a grange.

An attempt to re-establish it as an independent house in the 1470s failed. The church however continued in use as a parish church until 1587.

Local tradition had always maintained that the church at Okkenhaug had once belonged to a monastery; for centuries historians dismissed this, until in 1906 a letter dated 1475 from Pope Sixtus IV to abbot Stephen of Trugge was discovered in the Vatican archives referring to the request for the restoration of the site as a functioning monastery.[citation needed]

It has sometimes been asserted that the church here was the same as that dedicated to the local Saint Brettiva in Skogn, but this has not found general acceptance.

[edit] Site

There are substantial remains of the simple church, built of stone, although it was used as a quarry, but the monastic buildings, built of wood, apparently succumbed to fire in 1567. The site was acquired by the Norwegian Department for the Preservation of Historical Monuments (Fortidsminneforeningen) in 1967. No full archaeological investigation of the site has been carried out, but many partial excavations have taken place, including test excavations in 2000, none of which able to discover significant remains of the monastic buildings, although there is no doubt that they were located on the south side of the church.

[edit] New monastery

It was reported in 2007 that a new Cistercian monastery is planned near the old site.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Trønderavisa" newspaper article "Planlegger kloster også i Munkeby" of 14 May 2007

[edit] Sources and external links

[edit] References

  • Barton, K., Stenvik, L., Binns, R., Eide, E. and Kimo, I.M., 2007: Geophysical Surveys at Munkeby Kloster, Levanger, Trøndelag, Norway. Seminar on 7 March 2007: Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Institute of Technology, Sligo, IT Sligo.
  • Bugge, Alexander: Et ukjendt kloster nordenfjelds. Historisk tidsskrift. B.XX. 1909 (Norwegian)
  • Diplomatarium Norvegicum; Letter of Pope Sixtus IV to abbot Stephanus de Trugge
  • Brand & Helland A.S.: Munkeby klosterruin : en tilstandsrapport med forslag til fremtidig vedlikehold sambok (Norwegian)
  • Ekroll, Ø.: Munkeby-Tautra. Cisterciensermunkenes klosterruiner i Trøndelag sambok (Norwegian)
  • Hallan, N.: Skogn Historie b.IV sambok (Norwegian)
  • A. Klüwer L.D.: Norske Mindesmerker sambok (Norwegian)
  • Krüger, S og Smestad, I: Kulturminner i Stjørdal, Frosta, Levanger, Verdal, Inderøy, Steinkjer 1993 sambok (Norwegian)
  • Liden, H-E: Munkeby kloster ved Levanger. Foreningen til norske fortidsminnesmerkers bevaling. Årbok 1969 (Norwegian)
  • McGregor, Michael: Cistercienserklosteret på Munkeby. Spor 2/2000 (Norwegian)
  • NGU: Geologiske kart
  • Parelius, Nils: Munkeby klosterruin. Trondhjems Turistforening. Årbok 1955 sambok (Norwegian)
  • Raaen, P. og Skevik, O.: Helligdom og verdier ved to årtusenskifter : foredrag fra flere seminarer ved årtusenskiftet samt populærforedrag under olsokdagene på Stiklestad sambok (Norwegian)
  • Ryjord, N.: Indberetning om de avsluttende utgravinger av Munkeby klosterkirkes ruiner 1910. Fortidsminnesmerkeforeningens årsberetning 1910 (Norwegian)
  • Ryjord, Nils og Karl Rygh: Munkeby kirke ved Levanger. Fortidsminnesmerkersforeningens årsberetning 1906 (Norwegian)
  • Schøning, G.: Reise giennom en Del af Norge i de år 1773, 1774, 1775 (Norwegian)
  • Skjerve, Ole: Munkeby kyrkjeruinar. Nord-Trøndelag Historielag. Årbok 1954 sambok (Norwegian)