Ribe - St Catherine's Church and Abbey

(Local Name: Skt. Catharinæ Kirke) East of the Old Town Hall of Ribe lies St Catherine's Church (Skt. Catharinæ Kirke), part of a Dominican abbey. The present church dates from the 15th century but incorporates remains of the original building of 1228. Passing through the church the visitor will come to the medieval monastery court which is surrounded by two cloisters lying one above the other; in the lower cloister note particularly the arcades with pointed arches and vaulting. After the Reformation the priory served as a hospital until 1864, then as a home for people living on their own (not open to the public). Outside the church stands a fountain with a statue of St Catherine, patron saint of Dominicans. The fountain was the work of Anders Bundgaard (ca. 1930).