Øm Abbey

Øm Abbey was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1172 in the Diocese of Aarhus near the town of Rye, between the lakes of Mossø and Gudensø in central Jutland, Denmark. It is one of many former monasteries and abbeys in the region known as Søhøjlandet.

According to the abbey chronicle, Øm Abbey was founded in 1172 by Cistercian monks from Vitskøl Abbey in northern Jutland. They wanted to found a daughter house in central Jutland. They attempted to establish such a house at Sabro near Aarhus but found the soil useless for farming. They moved to Sminge () near Silkeborg and found the same poor soil conditions, and then in 1166 they settled a short time at abandoned Veng Abbey, outside Skanderborg. They left in 1167 because of unresolved land disputes with Lady Margrethe. They tried for four years to establish themselves at Kalvø in Lake Skanderborg, but the winters proved to be too harsh. The monks finally settled on a patch of land in Gammel Rye Parish () between the lakes of Mossø and Gudensø () (English: Lake Guden), surrounded by water and marshlands. The site was overgrown with brush and surrounded by forest.

The abbey was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was called 'Cara Insula' or the "dear Island".

The Øm Abbey Chronicle was written by local monks from 1206 to 1267 when it abruptly ends. It outlines events at the abbey during the tumultuous years of the early 13th century.

Bishop Svend of Aarhus transferred many of his own holdings to Øm Abbey and then retired there to live out his days among the monks. He was buried in front of the high altar. Abbot Michael, the twelfth abbot, was buried in the chapter room in the unfinished church. Bishop Peder Elafssen of Aarhus was buried in the church in 1246, years before it was completed. Abbot Jens (1246–1249) was wounded while trying to prevent bandits from stealing horses from the abbey.

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Wikipedia