History of Munkeby Abbey(Norwegian: Munkeby kloster):
Munkeby Abbey (Norwegian: Munkeby kloster, meaning “Place of the Monks”) was a medieval Cistercian monastery located near the village of Okkenhaug in Levanger Municipality, Trøndelag county, Norway, about 5 km (3.1 mi) east of the town of Levanger. Founded between 1150 and 1180, it was the northernmost Cistercian foundation in the world at the time. It was likely established by English monks (similar to other early Norwegian Cistercian houses like Hovedøya and Lyse Abbey). The community and assets were transferred to Tautra Abbey in the 13th century (possibly around 1207), after which Munkeby functioned as a grange (a monastic farm). It was fully closed during the Protestant Reformation.
The ruins (Munkeby klosterruin) are managed by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments (Fortidsminneforeningen) and are open to the public.
The Cistercians of the Strict Observance, who came from the Abbey of Citeaux in France — where St. Bernard of Clairvaux lived — settled in Munkeby, near the Norwegian coast, in 2009. The monks chose this relatively desolate central Norwegian region because it is home to 12th-century Cistercian ruins that bear witness to a Christian history with deep, ancient roots.
About Monkeby Abbey (Munkeby Mariakloster) today:
In 2007, the Trappist Abbey of Cîteaux in France (the original mother house of the Cistercian order) established a new Trappist monastery nearby, known as Munkeby Mariakloster. This was the first new foundation directly from Cîteaux in over 500 years. Four monks took residence there in 2009. The new monastery is situated about 0.93 miles (1.5 km) from the medieval ruins. They form a companion community to the Trappistine nuns who have re-settled the site of the former Tautra Abbey.
Norway’s only male contemplative community of the Cistercian Trappist order consecrated its new church in Consecration of Munkeby monastery church, Norway, on Dec. 5, 2023 inaugurating a brand-new monastery in the Trondheim Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian Sea.
Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and housing relics of martyrs and saints of the Cistercian order, the new place of worship has a capacity for about 40 people. The building was finally consecrated on Dec. 5, against a snowy backdrop, in the presence of 80 people.
Many people contributed to the opening of the new church, which sits on almost five acres (two hecteres) of land in the middle of fields. A Lutheran woman embroidered the white altar cloth, a painstaking task that took her months; a neighbor of the monastery forged the candelabras; and prisoners from southern Norway made the consecration crosses.
The Trappists lead a secluded and discreet monastic life according to the Rule of St. Benedict. The monks here combine prayer, meditation, and work, including producing Munkeby cheese (Munkebyost). They are a minor pilgrimage-related site in the region, tied to the broader history of Cistercian monasticism in Norway during the Christianization period. Although the Catholic Church is a minority in Norway — just 3% of the population — it is nevertheless growing rapidly and enjoys great dynamism with lively youth movements. In this environment, the monks are keen to pass on the monastic way of life.
Following the “Ora et Labora” motto, the monks of Munkeby pray the services seven times a day (including very early in the morning at 4:00 a.m.) and work with their hands, producing cheese from milk purchased from local farmers. Their work integrates them into the economic life of the region.The monks currently living there are dedicated to silent prayer and welcoming pilgrims in the heart of this northern desert. Visitors can sometimes stay as guests, and the site emphasizes peace and spiritual renewal in a rural setting.
The monks offer a six-room guesthouse for guests wishing to experience a time of solitude and retreat. During the summer in this country where the sun never sets during the hot season, many pilgrims pass through the monastery on their way to the tomb of St. Olav in Trondheim, an important pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages.
Traveling to Munkeby Abbey (Norwegian: Munkeby kloster):
The Abbey is located in county in central Norway, coextensive with the Trøndelag region, 358 miles north of Oslo.the nearest major city.
Address: 10 Munkebyvegen 310, 7608 Levanger
Coordinates: approx. 63°43′49″N 11°23′08″E.
Phone:
email: post@munkey.net
By car: Via 3, E6
Visit the official website for Munkeby Abbey (for the modern monastery, cheese, and visits).