Munkeby Abbey

The monastery Munkeby is a former Cistercian monastery in Norway. It was the northernmost Cistercian monastery on the earth.

Location

The monastery ruin is Okkenhaug in the Norwegian municipality Levanger in Nord-Trøndelag, northeast of Trondheim.

History

The monastery was probably around 1150, later than 1180, as it is mentioned, and probably founded in 1207 after the nearby monastery Tautra (also Tutterø ) laid, as the grange it appearing later. It is possibly back on Lysekloster from the filiation of Clairvaux on Fountains Abbey in England. An attempt to revive the monastery in 1470, failed. The monastery burned down in 1567.

Buildings and plant

The in the external dimensions approximately 34 by 10 meters wide, St. Brettiva consecrated church served as a parish church until 1589. The existing church ruin has a nave and a chancel with side chapels on either side of the choir. The outer walls are preserved to a height of 1 to 2 meters. The church was later used as a quarry. The monastery buildings were made of wood. In 1910 excavations took place. The ruin is since 1967 owned by the Norwegian Heritage Association ( Fortidsminneforeningen ).

Start-up

In 2007, the main house the monastery of Citeaux in France to found a new monastery in Munkeby decided to first new in the last 500 years. A guest house is completed and is located about 1.5 km from the medieval ruins. Four French monks moved there in the autumn of 2009.