Lyse kloster was the first Cistercian monastery in Norway, founded in 1146 by Bishop Sigurd of Bergen. The first monks came from Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. They took vows of poverty but proved excellent farmers, and the monastery eventually controlled over a hundred farms across the region.
The abbey was dissolved in 1536 during the Reformation. What happened next is the real story: over the following two centuries, the soapstone walls were systematically dismantled and carted away. Some of the stone went to build the Rosenkrantz Tower in Bergen. Other blocks were shipped to Denmark, where they ended up in Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, the castle Shakespeare later used as the setting for Hamlet.
The ruins were excavated in 1822 and restored around 1930. What remains gives a clear outline of the monastery layout, enough to understand the scale of what was here. The site is a popular spot for weddings and wedding photography.
A less expected connection: the Norwegian black metal band Immortal filmed their music video for "The Call of the Wintermoon" in these ruins, adding a rather different chapter to the monastery's cultural history.
The ruins are about 27 km south of Bergen, just off the road towards Lysekloster. Free entry.
The abbey was dissolved in 1536 during the Reformation. What happened next is the real story: over the following two centuries, the soapstone walls were systematically dismantled and carted away. Some of the stone went to build the Rosenkrantz Tower in Bergen. Other blocks were shipped to Denmark, where they ended up in Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, the castle Shakespeare later used as the setting for Hamlet.
The ruins were excavated in 1822 and restored around 1930. What remains gives a clear outline of the monastery layout, enough to understand the scale of what was here. The site is a popular spot for weddings and wedding photography.
A less expected connection: the Norwegian black metal band Immortal filmed their music video for "The Call of the Wintermoon" in these ruins, adding a rather different chapter to the monastery's cultural history.
The ruins are about 27 km south of Bergen, just off the road towards Lysekloster. Free entry.