Vreta Abbey

The monastery was the first nunnery in Sweden and was founded around 1100. The church is one of the most interesting in Sweden and includes numerous medieval gems.

The monastery was founded around 1100 by Inge I and his wife Helena on the advice of Pope Paschalis II, making it the first monastery in Sweden. Initially it was an institution for Benedictine nuns, but in 1162 it was converted into a monastery for Cistercian nuns. The monastery also received royal estates and a residence from Charles VII. At that time, the residence was a simple wooden house, which the nuns wanted to replace with a larger building. This new building had to be restarted due to several fires. The papal legate William of Modena visited the monastery in the mid-13th century and allowed the nuns to sell indulgences. This allowed the building to be completed in 1289 and inaugurated in the presence of King Magnus I. Thanks to rich donations from many benefactors, the monastery developed excellently. Ingegerd, a sister of Charles VII, was the first abbess of the monastery and led it successfully for over 40 years.Source: de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Vreta

Vreta Monastery was founded around 1100 by King Inge the Elder and Queen Helena on the advice of Pope Paschal II and is the oldest known monastery in Sweden.