Vadstena Abbey
Encyclopedia
Vadstena Abbey was the motherhouse of the Bridgettine Order
, situated on Lake Vättern
, in the Diocese of Linköping, Sweden. The abbey started as one of the farms donated by the king, but the town of Vadstena
grew up around it. It was active from 1384 until 1595.
and his Queen Blanche of Namur, who made a will donating ten farms, including that of Vadstena in Dal Hundred, Östergötland
, to the abbey founded by Bridget.
The daughter of Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine, on arriving there in 1374 with the relics of her mother, found only a few novice
s under an Augustinian superior. They chose St. Catherine as their abbess. She died in 1381, and it was not until 1384 that the abbey was blessed by the Bishop of Linköping
. The first recognized abbess was Ingegerd Knutsdotter, grandchild of Saint Bridget. The canonization of St. Bridget in 1391 and her translation in 1394 added greatly to the fame and riches of her abbey.
In 1400 Duke Eric of Pomerania
was invested at Vadstena by his grandaunt, Queen Margaret
, as King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The grave of his queen Philippa
and that of Catherine
, queen consort of King Carl II of Sweden
, are located here.
Bridgetine literature consisted mostly of translations into Swedish of portions of the Bible or of the legends of the saints. Such writings as are extant have been published for the most part by the Svenska fornskriftsällskapet (Old Swedish Texts Society) of Stockholm.
Of these authors, the best known belonging to Vadstena are perhaps Margareta Clausdotter
, (abbess 1473, died 1486), author of a work on the family of St. Bridget (printed in "Scriptores Rerum Svecicarum", III, I, 207-16), and Nicolaus Ragvaldi
, monk and general confessor (1476-1514), who composed several works.
The abbey was a double convent with both a male section of 25 monks and a female section of 60 nuns. The monks was organised under a male general confessor and the nuns under a prioress, while the abbey as a whole was organised under an abbess, who was elected by both the monks and the nuns.
The abbey was greatly favored by the royal house and nobility and became the spiritual center of the country as well as the greatest landowner in Sweden. The abbey was known to manage a hospital and retirement home, which was known from 1401. Early on, Vadstena Abbey supported Beghards and Beguines, often aristocratic women, who was very ill reputed by the church. In 1412, the abbey was ordered to expel them, but they were in fact not expelled from the abbey until 1506. In 1436, the rebel Jösse Eriksson sought asylum in the abbey, but was forced out and arrested all the same. In 1419, the abbey was subjected to an investigation were the abbess as well as the nuns was accused of having accepted personal gifts and entertained male guests at unacceptable hours
Vadstena Abbey also had international fame as the mother abbey of all the convents of the bridgettine order, such as the convents of Reval, Nådendal, Bergen and Danzig. It kept in contact with other bridgettine convents, performed inspections of them and sent both nuns and monks to them when they were lacking in members. In 1406, for example, an English delegation arrived asking for members in order to establish a bridgettine convent in England, and in 1415, four nuns, three female novices, one monk and one priest left the abbey under great celebrations for England at the foundation of Syon Monastery.
in 1527, the convents in Sweden was effectively abolished by the banning them from accepting new novices, while the existing members were allowed to stay until their death, supported by an allowance from the former property of the convent, or leave if they wished. Vadstena Abbey, however, was exempted from this ban and allowed to accept novices also after the reformation, though only by special permission from the monarch. This regulation was instructed to Bishop Hans Brask
by King Gustav Vasa in 1527 after an elopement of a novice the previous year, were a woman eloped from the nunnery with a man. The Abbey had a favorable position because of its international fame and because of its strong position with the nobility. Many of the monks and nuns was from the nobility, including the King's own sister, Anna. It also served as a burial ground for many noble families. The nuns and monks of Vadstena Abbey was, however, allowed to leave the abbey if the wished. Among the most notable who did leave was abbess Birgitta Botolfsdotter
, who left the abbey to marry. In 1544 the King, reportedly after having been asked by some of the monks and nuns , issued an instruction which specifically allowed the nuns and monks to leave the Vadstena Abbey to marry if the wished to, and specifically forbade the abbess and the other members of the abbey to stop them. The younger nuns was reportedly more willing to leave than the older, but the nuns in general stayed more often than the monks. The monks was, after having converted to Lutheranism, provided with the profession of priest, missionary, doctor or teacher, while the nuns seldom had other choices than marriage and remain in the abbey longer than the monks.
In May 1540, the Abbey was visited by the Protestant Bishop. The Catholic mass and the worship of saints was banned, and Protestant masses were held for the abbey. The nuns are reported to have plugged their ears during the sermon. An inventory of the abbey's valuables was made by the crown, and in 1543, most of the books and valuables were confiscated. The abbey was allowed to receive private donations on condition that the monks refrained from the public Catholic sermons they had evidently been performing until then.
Vadstena Abbey was granted large donations by private benefactors, both from the public and from the royal house
. Among the notable benefactors were Queen Margaret (Leijonhufvud)
and her family, former Abbess Birgitta Botolfsdotter and her wealthy husband, and Queen Karin Månsdotter
and Jöran Persson
. In 1549, most of the majority of the monks was commanded to leave the abbey. In 1550, the nuns were moved to the smaller part of the abbey, the wing previously belonging to the monks, and in 1555 the male section of the abbey was formally closed and Vadstena Abbey had became an all female abbey. During the Northern Seven Years' War
of 1567, the abbey was looted by Danish soldiers. In 1568, the number of nuns was numbered as 18.
During the reign of King John III
(1569-1592), the abbey was restored and enriched, and the abbess was on very good terms with the royal couple. In 1575, John III granted the abbey the right to receive novices without restriction again, and his Catholic Queen, Catherine Jagellon, made donations to it and forged contacts between the abbey and Rome. Antonio Possevino
, as papal legate, reformed it in 1580. At this occasion, the abbess and the prioress was made to swore the Tridentian oath from 1564 and the nuns were made to take their vows a second time. Possevino also left with a group of boys to be educated as Catholic priests. In 1587, the first grand Catholic mass since the reformation was held in the abbey during a visit by the King and the Crown Prince, and in 1592, a school for Catholic priests was founded. The Catholic King Sigismund granted the Vadstena Abbey his protection at his coronation in 1594. The papal legate Malaspina visited the abbey and a young girl was accepted as a novice.
Later in 1594, however, the Protestant Duke Charles, later Charles IX of Sweden
, took power and ordered for the dissolution of the Vadstena Abbey. In 1595, the majority of the remaining 11 nuns left with their abbess and, after having spend the winter in Söderköping, sailed to the Bridgettine Abbey of Danzig in Poland in the spring of 1596. The few remaining nuns were left at the visit of Bishop Abraham Angermannus
in July 1596. Of the nuns remaining in Sweden, one married an officer and courtier of Charles IX, another one became lady in waiting to Queen Christina
, and the last one, Karin Johansdotter, was allowed to stay in the building of the former abbey employed as a caretaker to the abbey's gardens until 1605.
When Magnus Vasa, Duke
of Östergötland
, died in 1595 he was buried in the abbey church. His sarcophagus
can still be seen today.
In 1795, a hospital for venereal diseases was established in both the male and female section of the former abbey. From the 1840s, it also received patients with other illnesses and became a public hospital. The hospital was moved to modern facilities in 1909. The nuns section of the abbey was used as a prison in 1810-1825, and after that as a part of the Vadstena Insane Asylum until 1951.
In 1935, the nuns of the Bridgettine order returned to Vadstena under Elisabeth Hesselblad
and established a new convent in Vadstena, outside of the area of the former abbey.
The abbey church is still standing; it contains a few memorials of St. Bridget.
Bridgettines
The Bridgettine or Birgittine Order is a monastic religious order of Augustinian nuns, Religious Sisters and monks founded by Saint Birgitta of Sweden in approximately 1350, and approved by Pope Urban V in 1370...
, situated on Lake Vättern
Vättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
, in the Diocese of Linköping, Sweden. The abbey started as one of the farms donated by the king, but the town of Vadstena
Vadstena
Vadstena is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,612 inhabitants in 2005. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality....
grew up around it. It was active from 1384 until 1595.
Foundation and duration
The abbey was founded in 1346 by Saint Bridget with the assistance of King Magnus IV of SwedenMagnus IV of Sweden
Magnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...
and his Queen Blanche of Namur, who made a will donating ten farms, including that of Vadstena in Dal Hundred, Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
, to the abbey founded by Bridget.
The daughter of Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine, on arriving there in 1374 with the relics of her mother, found only a few novice
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
s under an Augustinian superior. They chose St. Catherine as their abbess. She died in 1381, and it was not until 1384 that the abbey was blessed by the Bishop of Linköping
Bishop of Linköping
-Before the reformation:* Herbert?* Rikard?* 1139-1160s Gisle* 1170-1171 Stenar* 1187-1195/96 Kol* Johannes* 1216-1220 Karl Magnusson* 1220-1236 Bengt Magnusson* 1236-1258 Lars* 1258-1283 Henrik* 1258-1286 Bo...
. The first recognized abbess was Ingegerd Knutsdotter, grandchild of Saint Bridget. The canonization of St. Bridget in 1391 and her translation in 1394 added greatly to the fame and riches of her abbey.
In 1400 Duke Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania
Eric of Pomerania KG was King Eric III of Norway Norwegian Eirik, King Eric VII of Denmark , and as Eric King of Sweden...
was invested at Vadstena by his grandaunt, Queen Margaret
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...
, as King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The grave of his queen Philippa
Philippa of England
Philippa of England , also known as Philippa of Lancaster and anachronistically as Philippa Plantagenet, was the Queen of Denmark, Sweden and Norway from 1406 to 1430. She was the consort to Eric of Pomerania, who ruled the three kingdoms...
and that of Catherine
Catherine of Bjurum
Catherine of Bjurum, in her lifetime called Katarina Karlsdotter, in history known as Katarina Gumsehuvud was the Queen consort of Sweden from 1448 to 1450 and later the Queen consort of Norway from 1449 to 1450...
, queen consort of King Carl II of Sweden
Charles VIII of Sweden
Charles VIII of Sweden , Charles I of Norway, also Carl, , was king of Sweden and king of Norway ....
, are located here.
Bridgetine literature consisted mostly of translations into Swedish of portions of the Bible or of the legends of the saints. Such writings as are extant have been published for the most part by the Svenska fornskriftsällskapet (Old Swedish Texts Society) of Stockholm.
Of these authors, the best known belonging to Vadstena are perhaps Margareta Clausdotter
Margareta Clausdotter
Margareta Clausdotter was a nun and was, from 1473 until her death, abbess of the Bridgettine Abbey of Vadstena.Margareta, who is said to have been from Söderköping, Sweden, and probably born in a family of German origin, participated in the process to get Saint Bridget's daughter Catherine...
, (abbess 1473, died 1486), author of a work on the family of St. Bridget (printed in "Scriptores Rerum Svecicarum", III, I, 207-16), and Nicolaus Ragvaldi
Nicolaus Ragvaldi (monk)
Nicolaus Ragvaldi was a monk in the Bridgettine Abbey of Vadstena, and served twice as its confessor general...
, monk and general confessor (1476-1514), who composed several works.
The abbey was a double convent with both a male section of 25 monks and a female section of 60 nuns. The monks was organised under a male general confessor and the nuns under a prioress, while the abbey as a whole was organised under an abbess, who was elected by both the monks and the nuns.
The abbey was greatly favored by the royal house and nobility and became the spiritual center of the country as well as the greatest landowner in Sweden. The abbey was known to manage a hospital and retirement home, which was known from 1401. Early on, Vadstena Abbey supported Beghards and Beguines, often aristocratic women, who was very ill reputed by the church. In 1412, the abbey was ordered to expel them, but they were in fact not expelled from the abbey until 1506. In 1436, the rebel Jösse Eriksson sought asylum in the abbey, but was forced out and arrested all the same. In 1419, the abbey was subjected to an investigation were the abbess as well as the nuns was accused of having accepted personal gifts and entertained male guests at unacceptable hours
Vadstena Abbey also had international fame as the mother abbey of all the convents of the bridgettine order, such as the convents of Reval, Nådendal, Bergen and Danzig. It kept in contact with other bridgettine convents, performed inspections of them and sent both nuns and monks to them when they were lacking in members. In 1406, for example, an English delegation arrived asking for members in order to establish a bridgettine convent in England, and in 1415, four nuns, three female novices, one monk and one priest left the abbey under great celebrations for England at the foundation of Syon Monastery.
Post-reformation and dissolution
After the introduction of the reformationSwedish Reformation
The Protestant reformation in Sweden was introduced beginning in 1527 during the reign of king Gustav I of Sweden. The Swedish reformation ment the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the foundation of the Swedish Church. It is considered the ending point of the Swedish Middle Ages. The...
in 1527, the convents in Sweden was effectively abolished by the banning them from accepting new novices, while the existing members were allowed to stay until their death, supported by an allowance from the former property of the convent, or leave if they wished. Vadstena Abbey, however, was exempted from this ban and allowed to accept novices also after the reformation, though only by special permission from the monarch. This regulation was instructed to Bishop Hans Brask
Hans Brask
-Biography:Brask was born in Linköping 1464 to a bourgeois family. He studied philosophy and law at German universities and around 1500 he received a doctoral degree in civil and canon law from Rome. Upon his return to Sweden he first worked as canon and was later, in 1505, appointed cathedral dean...
by King Gustav Vasa in 1527 after an elopement of a novice the previous year, were a woman eloped from the nunnery with a man. The Abbey had a favorable position because of its international fame and because of its strong position with the nobility. Many of the monks and nuns was from the nobility, including the King's own sister, Anna. It also served as a burial ground for many noble families. The nuns and monks of Vadstena Abbey was, however, allowed to leave the abbey if the wished. Among the most notable who did leave was abbess Birgitta Botolfsdotter
Birgitta Botolfsdotter
Birgitta Botolfsdotter, or Botulfsdotter was a Swedish Roman Catholic nun, abbess of Vadstena Abbey during the ongoing Protestant Reformation....
, who left the abbey to marry. In 1544 the King, reportedly after having been asked by some of the monks and nuns , issued an instruction which specifically allowed the nuns and monks to leave the Vadstena Abbey to marry if the wished to, and specifically forbade the abbess and the other members of the abbey to stop them. The younger nuns was reportedly more willing to leave than the older, but the nuns in general stayed more often than the monks. The monks was, after having converted to Lutheranism, provided with the profession of priest, missionary, doctor or teacher, while the nuns seldom had other choices than marriage and remain in the abbey longer than the monks.
In May 1540, the Abbey was visited by the Protestant Bishop. The Catholic mass and the worship of saints was banned, and Protestant masses were held for the abbey. The nuns are reported to have plugged their ears during the sermon. An inventory of the abbey's valuables was made by the crown, and in 1543, most of the books and valuables were confiscated. The abbey was allowed to receive private donations on condition that the monks refrained from the public Catholic sermons they had evidently been performing until then.
Vadstena Abbey was granted large donations by private benefactors, both from the public and from the royal house
House of Vasa
The House of Vasa was the Royal House of Sweden 1523-1654 and of Poland 1587-1668. It originated from a noble family in Uppland of which several members had high offices during the 15th century....
. Among the notable benefactors were Queen Margaret (Leijonhufvud)
Margaret Leijonhufvud
-Children:#John III , Duke of Finland, King of Sweden 1567-1592#Catherine , wife of Edzard II, Count of East Frisia#Cecilia , wife of Christopher II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern...
and her family, former Abbess Birgitta Botolfsdotter and her wealthy husband, and Queen Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter
Karin Månsdotter was Queen of Sweden, first a mistress and then the spouse of King Eric XIV of Sweden...
and Jöran Persson
Jöran Persson
Jöran Persson, alternatively Göran Persson , was King Eric XIV of Sweden's favorite, most trusted, counsellor and head of the King's network of spies. He was widely seen as a Machiavellian figure, and of holding too much influence over Eric...
. In 1549, most of the majority of the monks was commanded to leave the abbey. In 1550, the nuns were moved to the smaller part of the abbey, the wing previously belonging to the monks, and in 1555 the male section of the abbey was formally closed and Vadstena Abbey had became an all female abbey. During the Northern Seven Years' War
Northern Seven Years' War
The Northern Seven Years' War was the war between Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck and the Polish–Lithuanian union, fought between 1563 and 1570...
of 1567, the abbey was looted by Danish soldiers. In 1568, the number of nuns was numbered as 18.
During the reign of King John III
John III of Sweden
-Family:John married his first wife, Catherine Jagellonica of Poland , house of Jagiello, in Vilnius on 4 October 1562. In Sweden, she is known as Katarina Jagellonica. She was the sister of king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland...
(1569-1592), the abbey was restored and enriched, and the abbess was on very good terms with the royal couple. In 1575, John III granted the abbey the right to receive novices without restriction again, and his Catholic Queen, Catherine Jagellon, made donations to it and forged contacts between the abbey and Rome. Antonio Possevino
Antonio Possevino
Antonio Possevino was a Jesuit protagonist of Counter Reformation as a papal diplomat and a Jesuit controversialist, encyclopedist and bibliographer...
, as papal legate, reformed it in 1580. At this occasion, the abbess and the prioress was made to swore the Tridentian oath from 1564 and the nuns were made to take their vows a second time. Possevino also left with a group of boys to be educated as Catholic priests. In 1587, the first grand Catholic mass since the reformation was held in the abbey during a visit by the King and the Crown Prince, and in 1592, a school for Catholic priests was founded. The Catholic King Sigismund granted the Vadstena Abbey his protection at his coronation in 1594. The papal legate Malaspina visited the abbey and a young girl was accepted as a novice.
Later in 1594, however, the Protestant Duke Charles, later Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden
Charles IX of Sweden also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III of Sweden, and uncle of Sigismund III Vasa king of both Sweden and Poland...
, took power and ordered for the dissolution of the Vadstena Abbey. In 1595, the majority of the remaining 11 nuns left with their abbess and, after having spend the winter in Söderköping, sailed to the Bridgettine Abbey of Danzig in Poland in the spring of 1596. The few remaining nuns were left at the visit of Bishop Abraham Angermannus
Abraham Angermannus
Abraham Andersson, usually known under the Latin form of his name, Abrahamus Andreæ Angermannus or just Abraham Angermannus was the fourth Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1593 to 1599...
in July 1596. Of the nuns remaining in Sweden, one married an officer and courtier of Charles IX, another one became lady in waiting to Queen Christina
Christina of Holstein-Gottorp
Christina of Holstein-Gottorp was a Queen Consort of Sweden as consort of king Charles IX of Sweden, mother of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and a Regent of Sweden.-Biography:...
, and the last one, Karin Johansdotter, was allowed to stay in the building of the former abbey employed as a caretaker to the abbey's gardens until 1605.
When Magnus Vasa, Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
, died in 1595 he was buried in the abbey church. His sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
can still be seen today.
Post-dissolution
After Karin Johansdotter left the former abbey in 1605, the buildings was left empty for almost forty years. There were plans to found a university in them, but nothing came of the plans. In 1641, a Krigshus (War Mans House) was founded for retired and invalid soldiers and their familys. The retirement home was housed in the former nun's wing for one hundred and forty years. It also provided a school for the soldiers children. The retirement home was closed in 1783.In 1795, a hospital for venereal diseases was established in both the male and female section of the former abbey. From the 1840s, it also received patients with other illnesses and became a public hospital. The hospital was moved to modern facilities in 1909. The nuns section of the abbey was used as a prison in 1810-1825, and after that as a part of the Vadstena Insane Asylum until 1951.
In 1935, the nuns of the Bridgettine order returned to Vadstena under Elisabeth Hesselblad
Elisabeth Hesselblad
Blessed Elisabeth Hesselblad, religious name Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, was a Swedish nurse, nun, and beatified woman....
and established a new convent in Vadstena, outside of the area of the former abbey.
The abbey church is still standing; it contains a few memorials of St. Bridget.
Chronology
- 1346 - King Magnus Eriksson and Queen Blanche of Namur donate the royal estate Vadstena kungsgård to the foundation of a future convent.
- 1370 - Pope Urban V give his approval to the plan of St Bridget.
- 1373 - Bridget dies.
- 1374 - The remains of Bridget are taken to VadstenaVadstenaVadstena is a locality and the seat of Vadstena Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden, with 5,612 inhabitants in 2005. From 1974 to 1979 Vadstena was administered as part of Motala Municipality....
. Saint Catherine is elected Abbess of Vadstena. - 1384 - The Vadstena Abbey is officially blessed.
- 1391 - Bridget is declared a saint.
- 1430 - Queen Philippa is buried here and the Church of Vadstena Abbey is blessed.
- 1451 - Queen Catherine is buried here.
- 1495 - A book print is installed at the abbey.
- 1527 - The Reformation bans the Abbey from accepting any new novices withouth special permission from the monarch. The nuns and monks are given permission to leave the convent if they wish to.
- 1540 - The Catholic mass is banned and Protestant masses are held in the abbey.
- 1541 - The Abbey are allowed to receive private donations again, and most if its assets are confiscated.
- 1544 - The monarch specifically bans the abbey from preventing members from leaving the abbey.
- 1549 - The majority of the monks are evicted from the abbey.
- 1550 - The Abbey church are closed for the members of the abbey, who are limited to use the former monk's chapel. The nuns and the few remaining monks are limited to the use of only the small wing of the abbey formally the monk's section.
- 1555 - The male section of the Abbey is dissolved, and the monks leave Vadstena Abbey.
- 1567 - Danish soldiers loot the abbey during the Northern Seven Years' WarNorthern Seven Years' WarThe Northern Seven Years' War was the war between Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck and the Polish–Lithuanian union, fought between 1563 and 1570...
. - 1575 - King John III of Sweden allows the Abbey to accept novices without restriction again.
- 1580 - The Abbey is visited and reformed by the papal legate Antonio PossevinoAntonio PossevinoAntonio Possevino was a Jesuit protagonist of Counter Reformation as a papal diplomat and a Jesuit controversialist, encyclopedist and bibliographer...
. - 1587 - The first public Catholic mass since the reformation are celebrated in the presence of the King and Crown Prince.
- 1592 - A school for the education of Catholic priests are founded.
- 1595 - Duke Magnus is buried here and the female section of the Abbey is dissolved.
- 1641 - A home for retired and invalid soldiers are founded in the former abbey. It is closed in 1783.
- 1795 - A hospital for venereal diseases are founded in the former abbey. It is closed in 1909.
- 1810 - A prison is founded in the nuns wing. It is closed in 1825.
- 1826 - The former nun's wing is transformed in to a lunatic asylum. It is closed in 1951.
- 1935 - Nuns of the order of Saint Bridget open a resting home on the estate.
- 1963 - The Pax Mariæ Abbey of Saint Bridget is opened.
The abbesses of Vadstena
- 137?-1381 : Catherine of Vadstena (not officially ordained)
- 1381-1385 : Margareta Bosdotter (Oxenstierna) (not officially ordained)
- 1385-1403 : Ingegerd Knutsdotter (officially ordained in 1388)
- 1403-1422 : Gerdeka Hartlevsdotter
- 1422-1447 : Bengta Gunnarsdotter
- 1447-1452 : Ingeborg of HolsteinIngeborg of HolsteinIngeborg of Holstein , was Abbess of Vadstena Abbey 1447-1452 and 1457-1465.She was the daughter of Gerhard VI of Holstein and Elisabeth of Brunswick. In 1408, she was placed in the convent by Queen Margaret I of Denmark by consent of the Pope. In 1447, she was appointed Abbess...
(first time) - 1452-1456 : Katarina Bengtsdotter
- 1457-1457 : Katarina Ulfsdotter
- 1457-1465 : Ingeborg of Holstein (second time)
- 1465-1473 : Katarina Petersdotter
- 1473-1486 : Margareta ClausdotterMargareta ClausdotterMargareta Clausdotter was a nun and was, from 1473 until her death, abbess of the Bridgettine Abbey of Vadstena.Margareta, who is said to have been from Söderköping, Sweden, and probably born in a family of German origin, participated in the process to get Saint Bridget's daughter Catherine...
- 1487-1496 : Anna Paulsdotter
- 1496-1501 : Margareta Thuresdotter
- 1501-1518 : Anna BülowAnna BülowAnna Fickesdotter , , was a Swedish writer and translator and abbess of the Bridgittine Vadstena Abbey between 1501-1519.Anna Fickesdotter Bülow was elected abbess of Vadstena convent in 1501 and held that position for eighteen years, until her death. She was active in literary matters and was...
- 1518-1529 : Anna Germundsdotter
- 1529-1534 : Katarina Eriksdotter
- 1534-1539 : Birgitta BotolfsdotterBirgitta BotolfsdotterBirgitta Botolfsdotter, or Botulfsdotter was a Swedish Roman Catholic nun, abbess of Vadstena Abbey during the ongoing Protestant Reformation....
- 1539-1548 : Katarina Mattsdotter (d. 1559)
- 1548-1553 : Margareta Nilsdotter
- 1553-1564 : Katarina Bengtsdotter GyltaKatarina Bengtsdotter GyltaKatarina Bengtsdotter Gylta, in Latin: Catharina Benedicta , was a Swedish nun of the Bridgettine Order, Abbess of Vadstena Abbey in 1553-1564 and 1565-1593. She was the second last abbess in Sweden and Vadstena Abbey after the reformation.Katarina Bengtsdotter Gylta was the daughter of riksråd and...
(first time) - 1564-1565 : Ingegerd Larsdotter
- 1565-1593 : Katarina Benktsdotter Gylta (second time)
- 1593-1595 : Katarina Olofsdotter