Archaeologists excavating the remains of one of Bergen’s oldest monasteries are investigating the former choir of its medieval church, where they hope to uncover graves, artefacts and new evidence of life within the religious community nearly 900 years ago.
The excavation is taking place at Nonneseter Monastery as part of plans to transform the area surrounding the Nonneseter light rail stop into a new public space.
Archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) are examining an area once occupied by the choir of the monastery church — one of the holiest and most prestigious places for burial during the Middle Ages.
Previous excavations nearby uncovered around 30 graves dating from the monastic period, raising the possibility that further burials could survive beneath the modern city.
The investigation accompanies a redevelopment project led by Bergen Municipality and Vestland County Council that will create a new square and improved areas for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.
At the same time, the project will make the surviving remains of the medieval monastery more prominent within Bergen’s modern streetscape.
One of Bergen’s oldest monasteries
Nonneseter was probably established during the first half of the 12th century as a Benedictine convent.
Most of the extensive medieval complex has disappeared beneath centuries of development, and only two structures survive above ground: the tower base at the western end of the former church and the Korkapellet, or choir chapel, in the east.
For decades, newer buildings have obscured the visual relationship between the two medieval remains.
The former Silverware Factory and a neighbouring building are now being demolished as part of the redevelopment, opening the area surrounding the surviving monastery structures.
Plans for the new public space will mark the position of the original church interior and monastery garden, allowing visitors to understand how the surviving buildings once formed part of a much larger religious complex.
According to NIKU, it will be the first time in more than a century that the two surviving medieval structures can be clearly viewed in relation to one another.
Archaeologists investigate monastery’s choir
Of particular interest to archaeologists is the location of the latest excavation.
The investigation is taking place within the expanded choir of the former monastery church, close to an area examined by NIKU in 2006 during construction of Bergen’s first light rail route.
That excavation uncovered foundations belonging to the medieval church as well as approximately 30 graves dating from the period when the monastery was active.
Several of the burials were found beneath the floor of the former choir.
Burial inside a medieval church was generally a privilege available to relatively few people, and the choir was an especially prestigious location because of its religious importance.
Those buried in such places could include members of the clergy and royalty as well as wealthy benefactors who had donated money, property or land to religious institutions.
The latest excavation extends towards the wall of the surviving choir chapel, an area that would have been among the most desirable burial locations within the monastery church.
Archaeologists are therefore particularly interested in whether additional graves survive there — and what they could reveal about the people associated with Nonneseter during the Middle Ages.
Tiles, coins and traces of medieval life
Earlier archaeological work at Nonneseter has already produced substantial evidence of both the appearance of the monastery and the everyday activities that took place within its walls.
Fragments of tiled flooring and individual decorated tiles have provided clues to the interior decoration of the monastery church.
Among the discoveries made in 2006 was a floor tile decorated with a fleur-de-lis motif.
Smaller artefacts have provided more personal glimpses into the lives of the monastery’s inhabitants and visitors.
Coins, gaming pieces, writing styluses, needles, spindle whorls and thimbles have all been recovered from the site, reflecting activities ranging from textile production and writing to recreation and commerce.
Such finds are particularly valuable because relatively small everyday objects can reveal aspects of medieval life that are rarely recorded in surviving historical documents.
Archaeologists now hope the latest investigation will add to that picture and potentially provide new evidence about the women who lived within the Benedictine community and the people who interacted with it.
A much younger discovery
Not everything emerging from the excavation belongs to medieval Bergen.
Archaeologists have already recovered one particularly distinctive object: a miniature toy iron.
The small object is believed to be considerably younger than the monastery and probably dates from a period when children lived or played around the former religious site.
While it has no direct connection with the medieval nuns of Nonneseter, NIKU researchers say the object illustrates how the same part of Bergen has continued to be occupied and used across successive generations.
The excavation is therefore documenting more than the history of a single monastery. Beneath the changing urban landscape are layers of evidence left by people who have lived, worshipped, worked and played there over hundreds of years.
As the latest redevelopment takes shape above ground, archaeologists are hoping that what survives below it will provide another opportunity to reconstruct the story of one of Bergen’s most important medieval religious sites.
Sources : NIKU
