Utstein Monastery, Norway

 The coping stones running along the tops of our garden walls are frosted, but already beginning to melt in the early morning sun. There's no tempting me outside, I am like the cat that got the cream, warm, cosy, and content to stay indoors

Endeavouring to tidy up my iPhoto storage I came across a visit made during a past trip to Norway

The trip was taken at a time when our eldest son and family still lived in Norway. The images are from my first digital camera - long gone now, and not very good, but they hopefully convey a sense of place.

Utstein Monastery 

To reach Utstein Monastery you travel through a deep undersea road tunnel from Stavanger to the island of Mosterøy in Rogaland. On arrival at the island there is a brisk walk to the monastery across a natural causeway - an area surrounded by inlets of water as far as the eye can see, distant mountains, and sheep grazing along the pathway. 

I had assumed that these sheep were a Norwegian breed but in fact they come from Wales - Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep whose striking tails are traditionally left undocked as in the photo.

Utstein is the only preserved Monastery from the Middle Ages in Norway and one of it's important landmarks

It served as the Royal residence to the very first Viking king of Norway; Harald Fairhair, and is first mentioned in historical records going back to the C9th.

King Harald from the c14th Icelandic manuscript Flateyjarbók

 The building was later donated to the Augustinian monks of Stavanger towards the end of the c12th.  They lived a pious life of strict discipline and prayer at Utstein Monastery until the Reformation in the c15th.

At its height there were 12 monks in residence, but the abbey was sustained by double that amount of local lay people who worked on their farm, grew produce, cooked the meals, and generally took care of the monastery. The extensive lands belonging to the monastery were sufficient to support 250 people throughout the year.

The monastery church has traditional Nordic/Scandic painted wood and carved stonework

Although medieval they have a contemporary feel, and I suspect that this could already be heralding their innate sense of style and design which many of us admire today

With its tranquil setting and fine accoustics it is now a favoured place for concerts, seminars, conventions, and tourists.