Vreta Abbey: the first nunnery in Sweden

Vreta Abbey, located in the present-day municipality of Linköping in Östergötland, was the first nunnery in Sweden. The exact year of its foundation is not known, but it was founded by King Inge the Elder and Queen Helena on the orders of Pope Paschal II. This gives a date range for the foundation as 1099 - when Paschal became pope - to 1105 or a little later, when Inge's death probably occurred. The abbey was initially Benedictine and later became Cistercian.

Vreta Abbey was a prestigious establishment, serving as a school for daughters of Sweden’s ruling families and nobility. The church is the burial place of several Swedish and Danish royalties, including King Inge the Elder, Philip, Inge the Younger, and Magnus Henriksson. However, as a result of the Reformation, the abbey was forbidden to accept any new novices in 1529, though it continued to serve as a school for daughters of the nobility and a retirement place for old noblewomen.

Today, the church remains and is a Lutheran parish church. Large portions to the north of the church remain visible, and the finds, including an unusual wooden waterpipe, are on display in the adjoining museum. The only monastic building completely preserved is the barn, although some walls were reconstructed in the 20th century.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons