Nydala

In 1143 a group of French monks arrived in their new home Nydala (Nova Vallis – the new Valley) named after the parent monastery, Clairvaux (Clara Vallis – the bright valley). The Bishop Gislo had given them land and gradually their possessions increased by generous donations of farm properties, fishing rights, woodland, mills etc. Nydala became “The rich Nova Vallis”, title of the annual chronicle play which is performed with the ruins as background. In 1164 they founded an affiliated monastery, Roma, in Gotland. They also had regular contact with the convent Byarum, 40 km from Nydala - the old foot-path is now a popular pilgrim route, Munkaleden. In 1521, the Danish king Kristian II visited the monastery on his way home from the Stockholm bloodbath and ordered the assassination of the abbot and a number of monks. However, the fatal end came with the Reformation in 1527 when the Swedish king, Gustav Vasa, confiscated all the possessions of the church and made Sweden Protestant. After 1530, all monks had left the monastery which then fell into ruins. In 1688 parts of the old monastery church were restored with altar, pulpit etc in Baroque style. A church tower was built in 1704. Since then the church has served as a parish church. The eastern wall with its typical Romanesque windows and the plain gate-chapel still give evidence of the austere cistercian architecture. The new monastery garden tells us about the monks´ botanical interest.
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