Kärkna Abbey
Encyclopedia
Kärkna Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Estonia
.
(formerly Dorpat) in the village of Lammiku near the point where the Amme River flows into the Emajõgi
River.
. An early destruction by heathen inhabitants of the district is mentioned in 1234. After attacks by Russian forces from the principality of Vladimir
-Suzdal
and the Novgorod Republic
it was rebuilt in about 1240 as a fortress surrounded by a moat and a rectangular granite wall. In 1305 it was placed under Stolpe Abbey
on the Peene
in Pomerania
, which had joined the Cistercian order the previous year. In August 1558 the monastery was destroyed at the beginning of the Livonian War
. There are remains of the foundations and of the perimeter walls.
in the east range.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
.
Situation
The monastery lies about 8 km north of TartuTartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
(formerly Dorpat) in the village of Lammiku near the point where the Amme River flows into the Emajõgi
Emajõgi
The Emajõgi is a river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipus, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km. It has a length of 100 km...
River.
History
The monastery was founded before 1233 by the Bishop of Dorpat, Hermann von Buxhoeveden, and settled by monks from Pforta Abbey, of the filiation of MorimondMorimond Abbey
Morimond Abbeyis a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cistercian Order, along with La Ferté to the south,...
. An early destruction by heathen inhabitants of the district is mentioned in 1234. After attacks by Russian forces from the principality of Vladimir
Vladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
-Suzdal
Suzdal
Suzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
and the Novgorod Republic
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
it was rebuilt in about 1240 as a fortress surrounded by a moat and a rectangular granite wall. In 1305 it was placed under Stolpe Abbey
Stolpe Abbey
Stolpe Abbey was the first monastery in Pomerania. It was located on the southern bank of the Peene River between Gützkow and Anklam near the village of Stolpe....
on the Peene
Peene
The Peene is a river in Germany. The Westpeene, Kleine Peene and Ostpeene flow into the Kummerower See, and from there as Peene proper to Anklam and into the Oder Lagoon....
in Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, which had joined the Cistercian order the previous year. In August 1558 the monastery was destroyed at the beginning of the Livonian War
Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Old Livonia in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Union of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.During the period 1558–1578,...
. There are remains of the foundations and of the perimeter walls.
Buildings
The rectangular church was about 47 metres long, and consisted of a single nave of five vaulted bays. Unusually for a Cistercian church it also had a crypt of 10 bays containing two aisles, which was used not only as a place of burial but also as a place of shelter during hostilities. To the south of the church were attached the conventual buildings in the usual form of three ranges arranged in a square round a cloister and a central courtyard, with the chapter houseChapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
in the east range.
List of abbots
- P. - 1234
- Godefridus - 1253
- B. - 1264
- Winandus - 1277–1288
- Daniel - 1295–1298
- Johannes de Hapsele - before 1304
- Dithmarus - 1304–1308
- Hermannus - 1327–1336
- Everhardus - 1346
- Johannes - 1354
- Albertus - 1388–1397
- Bertoldus - 1411–1433
- Gotfrid Mäke - 1462–1466
- Johannes - 1484
- Lambert - 1504–1525
- Christoph Hogenstein - 1528–1535
- Gerardus - 1538–1540
- Hermann WeselHermann WeselHermann Wesel was a German ecclesiastic in Livonia, and the last Roman Catholic Bishop of Dorpat .-Life:Hermann Wesel is presumed to have originated from Wesel on the Lower Rhine. His father is supposed to have been a shoemaker....
- 1544–1558 (also Bishop of Dorpat from 1554)