Rijnsburg Abbey, Benedictine monastery in Rijnsburg, Netherlands
Rijnsburg Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Katwijk with a Romanesque church that retains a surviving tower in the town center. The tower remains integrated into the present-day church building that occupies the same location.
The abbey was founded in 1133 by Petronilla of Lorraine and operated as a religious community for over 400 years. It was destroyed and dissolved during the Reformation in the 16th century.
The monastery served as a religious home for women from noble families, becoming the main place where high-society women came to live a spiritual life. It held deep meaning in the social world of Holland's upper classes.
The former monastery is located in the center of Rijnsburg and is easy to reach on foot, as the surviving tower structure remains visible within the current church. You can visit the site and see how the Romanesque architecture fits into its modern surroundings.
Several Dutch counts, including Dirk VI, William I, Floris IV, and Floris V, chose the abbey as their final resting place. This made it an important burial site for Holland's highest nobility during the Middle Ages.
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