Rijnsburg: Abdij van St. Marie

Benedictine abbey for women of noble birth. Founded by countess Petronella (countess of Holland) in 1133, dedicated to St Laurentius and the virgin Mary. The first inhabitants were nuns of Stötterlingenburg (Saxen).

Together with the Adelbertusabdij the abbey was placed directly under the authority of the pope in 1140. The Rijnsburg abbey gained power, whereas the Egmond abbey lost power; already in the 12th century the counts of Holland had themselves buried in Rijnsburg.

From 1176 onwards the abbey possessed a parish church: the Laurentiuskerk.

Round 1500 the abbey joined the Bursfelder Congregatie. Round 1537 some attempts have been made to reform the abbey into a chapter (collegium of canonesses). The abbey was destroyed in 1574.

Saints

The manuscripts of this abbey contain many chants for St Adelbertus of Egmond.

Manuscripts

* F-Pn nal 3178, psalter/summer breviary for Abbess Agnes van Horne, ca 1360
* B-Br II 3825 (Fétis 1174), Graduale, 15th century
* SA-CT G 3 b 2, calendar, psalter, and hours for Our Lady

Two more manuscripts have been attributed to the Adalbertusabdij in the past, but Abdij Rijnsburg is more likely:

* NL-DHk 71 J 70, Hymnal, 15th century
* NL-DHk 73 E 8, Antiphoner summer part, 2nd half 15th century

Literature

* M. Hüffer: De adellijke vrouwenabdij van Rijnsburg
* M. Hüffer (ed.): Bronnen voor de geschiedenis der abdij Rijnsburg. Rijks geschiedkundige publicatiën. Kleine ser. 31-32. I. 1. Oorkonden, tot 1620. 2. Manboek : rekeningen, tot 1500. ('s-Gravenhage 1951-...)
* M. Hüffer: Die Reformen in der Abtei Rijnsburg im 15. Jahrhundert. Vorreformationsgeschichtliche Forschungen 13 (Münster i. W. 1937)
* J. Bruggeman: Archief der adellijke vrouwenabdij van Rijnsburg van de Orde van S. Benedictus, 1133-1574 ('s-Gravenhage, Alg. Landsdrukkerij, 1933)
* E.H.P. Cordfunke & F.W.N. Hugenholtz: Gravin Petronilla van Holland, ca. 1082-1144, Holland in het begin van de 12e eeuw (Zutphen 1990)
* J.M. Bangs: Rijnsburg abbey: additional documentation on furniture, artists, musicians, and buildings, 1500-1570, in: Bulletin KNOB (1975), vol. 74 (1975), pp. 182-190
* Egmond of Rijnsburg? in: De abdij van Egmond. Geschreven en beschreven

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Last change: Mon 20 January 2003