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The buildings at Vitskøl were in the usual
Cistercian layout, but the cruciform church, with three aisles, a transept and an apse, was intended to be unusually large, in accordance with the founder's wishes. Work on the choir and transept continued until 1287, when a fire destroyed much of the abbey.
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The church remained in use as the parish church until the early 17th century, when it was deemed too large to keep in repair, at which point the west wing of the abbey was converted to a parish church instead. The abbey church was finally abandoned in 1668, and was used by local people as a quarry
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A reminder of the abbey's past can be found in the abbey herb garden. The abandoned gardens were allowed to grow wild and researchers found that many of the plants used by monks in the distant past could still be found on the abbey grounds. The gardens have been partially restored by local
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Another feature of the early building was a large cloister with several apses built into it, a local extravagance. Eventually the work on the great church was abandoned, and a smaller abbey church was built to take care of the needs of the community.
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The remaining abbey buildings have now been restored and are used for conferences and educational purposes. The remaining ruins, consisting of foundation stones and a few remnants of the abbey church, have been given protected status and stabilized.
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Denmark became officially
Lutheran in October 1536, Vitskøl Abbey became crown property, but remained in operation for a while, although it was forbidden to accept any new monks. The last monks left in 1563.
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With royal protection and the gifts of the local nobility, the abbey became the major landowner in the area, as well as a centre of cultural life and economy. The abbey also owned the island of
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Abbot Henrik's holiness became legendary. Though he was never canonised, his death day, February 11, was commemorated at the abbey
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The property remained in private ownership until 1934 and 1942, when it was acquired by the state in two parcels.
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The principal residential building has been renamed Vitskøl
Kloster, but the farm retains the name Bjørnsholm.
133:, which disputes about land claims forced them to leave. They next attempted to settle on the isle of Kalvø in
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As early as 1165, the community of Vitskøl had grown sufficiently to attempt to found a daughter house at
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It stood on an ancient trade route through north central
Denmark on land given to the Cistercians by King
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In 1573, the estate was given to Bjørn
Andersen, a powerful noble, after whom it was renamed
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Vitskøl Abbey was founded by
Cistercian monks under Abbot Henrik while in exile from
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of Sweden. The monks from
Varnhem were later replaced by monks from
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Vitskøl
Kloster herb garden: detailed catalogue of plants
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Christian monasteries established in the 12th century
345:Monasteries dissolved under the Danish Reformation
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216:organizations and used for plant research.
54:, meaning "school of life") is a former
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325:12th-century establishments in Denmark
152:and had the right to hold a market on
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330:1536 disestablishments in Denmark
320:Cistercian monasteries in Denmark
270:Local interest website: pictures
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95:during a conflict with Queen
110:after his victory over King
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192:for building materials.
31:Vitskøl Abbey, west wing
262:Ranum website: pictures
254:Vitskøl Kloster events
116:Battle of Grathe Heath
97:Christina Björnsdotter
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108:Valdemar I the Great
296:56.8667°N 9.21667°E
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68:Region Nordjylland
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186:The isle of Bjørn
18:Vitskøl monastery
16:(Redirected from
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167:When during the
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158:Bjørnsholm Å
154:Trend Strand
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52:Vitae Schola
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299: /
273:(in Danish)
265:(in Danish)
257:(in Danish)
249:(in Danish)
211:Herb garden
199:Present day
169:Reformation
101:Esrum Abbey
314:Categories
284:56°52′00″N
184:(English:
182:Bjørnsholm
176:Bjørnsholm
162:Vilsted Sø
131:Veng Abbey
64:Himmerland
56:Cistercian
287:9°13′00″E
112:Sweyn III
139:Øm Abbey
240:Sources
114:at the
83:Vitskøl
78:History
72:Denmark
127:Sminge
93:Sweden
40:Danish
220:Notes
123:Sabro
60:Ranum
48:Latin
150:Livø
160:to
91:in
66:in
62:in
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38:(
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