Elsey Abbey, earlier Elsey Priory (), is a former women's religious house located near Elsey, now part of Hohenlimburg, Hagen, Germany.
It was founded in about 1220 by Friedrich von Isenbergexecuted in 1226 for the murder of his cousin Saint Engelberg of Cologne, Count of Berg for Premonstratensian canonesses and endowed with the local parish church and other possessions. In the 15th century, it became a house of secular canonesses of the nobility (a Damenstift) under an abbess. In the 16th century, during the Reformation, the parish became Protestant, and the abbey followed suit in due course.
It was dissolved in 1810, during the secularisation of the period.
There remain the Romanesque church and some of the canonesses' houses.
Prioresses Walburgis – c 1270 Gertrud von Grevel – c 1394) Bele Kuling / Kulynges – c 1396 Katharina Snyders – c 1405 Else von Eversberg – c 1414 Regula Dudinckdaughter of Heinrich von Dudinck zu Werdringen – c 1438
Abbesses
Margaretha von Neuhof / Greyte van Neyenhove – c 1468–1486 Engela von Holte – c 1501 Ida von Syberg – 1501–1545 Sophie Budberg – 1551–1554 Anna von der Goy – 1556–1577 Katharina von Neheim – 1590–1595 Ludger von Neheim known as Dutscher – 1595–1623 Anna Rump zu Pungelscheid – 1623–1625 Helene von Plettenberg – 1626–1630 Gertrud von der Pforten – 1630–1639 Anna Lucia von Plettenberg – 1639–1640 Helene von Sybergdaughter of Adrian von Syberg zum Busch and Margareta von Voss zum Rodenberg – 1641–1684 Elsebein von Lahr- 1684–1696 Maria Sybilla von Lahr- 1696–1701 Theodora Anna Katharina von Hauss – 1701–1704 Sophia Johanna von Bentheim-Tecklenburgdaughter of Hans Adolf zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg and Johanna Dorothea zu Schaumburg-Lippe-Bernburg – 1704–1716 Sophie Amelie Dorothee von Bentheim-Tecklenburgdaughter of Friedrich Moritz zu Bentheim-Tecklenburg and Christiane Marie zur Lippe- 1716–1753 Anna Christine Katharina von der Bottlenberg known as Kessel – 1753–1776 Amalie Dorothea Elisabeth von der Bottlenberg known as Kessel – 1776–1797 Wilhelmine Sophie von Cornberg- 1797–1802 Louise von Ledebur- 1802–1803
Notes and references
Sources Klueting, E., 1980: Das (freiweltliche) adelige Damenstift Elsey. Geschichte, Verfassung und Grundherrschaft in Spätmittelalter und Frühneuzeit. Freunde der Burg Altena: Altena 1980 Altenaer Beiträge 14 – Freunde der Burg Altena: Altena ISSN 0516-8260 (also: Bochum, Ruhr-Univ., Dissertation 1976)