Gardening and consumption of plants in Naantali convent (SW Finland) before and after the Reformation

Abstract

The medieval Birgittine convent of Naantali (Nådendal, SW Finland) had a relatively short period of activity, but it was still important in the history of Finnish and Swedish cloisters, and late medieval Finnish society. The Catholic convent existed in Naantali from 1443 to 1544, when Finland was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The convent most probably had a garden, and medicinal plants were cultivated. The aim of this study was to find plants cultivated and consumed in the convent through archaeobotanical macrofossil analysis, and to make an illustration of chronological changes in cultivation and consumption through AMS-radiocarbon dated macrofossils. Soil samples for macrofossil analysis came from excavations carried out in the convent church in 1996–97. From 46 litre of soil, 4,561 plant remains, mostly seeds, were found. Cultivated and collected useful plants for food, dyeing and medicinal purposes were found. Four AMS-radiocarbon dates were measured in 2013 from charred cereal grains and seeds from three different excavation areas. The calibrated dates varied from cal AD 1255 to cal AD 1805. With revision of archaeological dates, macrofossils from dated samples were divided into four periods to demonstrate the changes in the convent life.