Hovedøya Abbey Ruins

Oslo · Norway · Monastery

One January night in 1532 the soldiers came across the ice. In a few hours the monks' world was wiped out — and their graves still lie tight against the walls.

In 1147 Abbot Philippus stepped ashore on Hovedøya with twelve English Cistercian monks and consecrated the island to the Virgin Mary. Over four centuries the abbey grew into one of the richest in Norway, with estates across the whole of Viken. The end came in a single night. In January 1532 the commander of Akershus attacked across the ice in revenge amid the power struggles of the age: the abbey was plundered, burned and torn down, the abbot imprisoned, and the monks' world was gone within hours. The stone was then carted off to build the fortress that had destroyed them. The ruins, first excavated in 1845–47, lie today in the island's groves with the monks' graves tight against the walls. In the evening, when the last ferry has gone and the sea fog creeps in over the stones, the island still holds something of the silence of that night.

FAQ

Where is Hovedøya Abbey Ruins located?

Hovedøya Abbey Ruins is in Oslo, Norway.

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