About this place
Lyse Abbey (Norwegian: Lyse kloster, also called Lyse Mariakloster or Saint Mary's Abbey, Lyse) is a ruined medieval Cistercian monastery in western Norway. It lies in Bjørnafjorden Municipality in Vestland county, near Søvik, at the southern base of the Lyshornet mountain. It is one of the few places in the country where you can see the remains of a monastic community from Catholic Norway.
Where does the name Lyse come from?
The name is derived from Lysefjorden, near which the monastery stood. Don't confuse it with the better-known fjord of the same name in the south of the country, famous for Preikestolen. That is a different place entirely; this abbey is in the Bergen area.
How was the abbey founded?
The abbey was founded in 1146 by Sigurd, Bishop of Bergen, on farmland that he owned himself. It was established as the Christianisation of Norway was nearing completion and the Church was building a lasting network of institutions. The first monks came from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, England, a sign of how close the church ties between Norway and the British Isles were at the time.
Lyse later became a source of monastic life in its own right. In 1207, monks from Lyse founded Tautra Abbey in Trøndelag, which is regarded as its daughter house.
The end of the monastery
In 1536, Christian III of Denmark-Norway made Lutheranism the state religion, and the abbey was dissolved. The buildings lost their purpose and gradually fell into ruin. What remains today are fragments of walls, and the site is fenced.
What will you see?
The ruins stand in the open air. The site is fenced, and information plaques show where the individual rooms of the monastery once stood, which makes it easier to picture the layout of the original complex. A visit is not long, but it combines well with a walk around the area at the foot of Lyshornet.
Who is it for?
- Visitors interested in the history of the Church and monastic orders in Scandinavia
- Travellers around Bergen looking for something beyond the fjords
- Photographers who enjoy ruins in a natural setting
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is Lyse Abbey? In Bjørnafjorden Municipality, Vestland county, in south-western Norway, at the southern base of Lyshornet. The coordinates are roughly 60.228° N, 5.406° E.
Is it a working monastery? No. It is a ruin. The monastery was dissolved in 1536 during the Reformation.
Who founded the abbey? Sigurd, Bishop of Bergen, in 1146, on his own land. The first monks came from Fountains Abbey in England.
Is Lyse Abbey connected to Lysefjorden and Preikestolen? The name comes from Lysefjorden, but the ruins described here are near Bergen, not near the Pulpit Rock.
How long does a visit take? The ruins are small, so a short stop is usually enough, ideally as part of a longer trip around the area.
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