198 Th e Arcade Room Who lived in the so-called Arcade Room, 206, is not redecorated before moving in. Th e conservators known before the end of the 1780’s, but the room’s estimate that the painted wooden walls were lined appearance has changed completely several times with canvas and wallpaper between 1780 and 1800, – none of the other rooms on the fi rst fl oor have so it may have been Miss de Leth who had the room had such diff erent styles within the course of a few decorated – perhaps aft er 45 years at the dilapidated decades. Sanderumgaard she needed to see something fresh In 1785, the 38-year old Johanne de Leth of and modern. Sanderumgaard Manor became a conventual. She Johanne de Leth lived here until 1808 when she came from a family of 14 siblings, and of the eight became Prioress and moved down to the ground daughters, one was dead and three had long been fl oor. She died at the age of 77 in 1825 and was buried married. Her father had died a few years before, and in St. Knud’s Church. Th e church register states that she now lived at the manor together with her mother the bells were rung – this was not otherwise done and two unmarried sisters in their thirties. Th is for Prioresses or ladies, no doubt because of the was not the present Sanderumgaard, whose main bell-ringer’s fee. building dates from the 1870’s. Johan von Bülow, One of Miss de Leth’s unmarried sisters entered who bought the manor aft er the mother’s death in Vemmetoft e Secular Convent for Noblewomen, but, 1792, described it in his diary as a modest and very even so, lived for a while with a sister and brother- dilapidated house in one storey, with small leaded in-law in Kerteminde. At Vemmetoft e she became panes joined and sealed with yeast and paper, and Prioress and remained so until her death at the age doors so low that you had to bend to pass through of 97. them. Th e garden was also completely unlike the Despite their modest fi nances, the many present one, and was just a bog. children from Sanderumgaard Manor received a Only when her home had been broken up did solid upbringing and all of them did well. It was a Miss de Leth take up her room at Jomfruklosteret. big responsibility being Prioress, and even more so Whether she moved in with the brightly painted at Vemmetoft e, which had landed estates and was arcaded decorations and red dado is unknown, as is far more complicated to administer than Odense whether it was her who painted the small vignettes Secular Convent for Noblewomen, but the two on the dado. Maybe she had already had the room sisters were made of solid and durable stuff . Th e wall canvases with wallpaper and several later coats of paint were conserved during the restoration of the Arcade Room and are now stored in the attic of Secular Convent for Noblewomen. Th e free-hand painted arcades and pillars are left with tied sheaves and a trompe l’œil sky behind them. Photo: Roberto Fortuna. 199 I østgavlen Christiane Sophie Magdalene Mund fl yttede ind Frøken Mund skrev et langt testamente, dateret i dette værelse, 208, som 34-årig, “eft er at hun i 20 Jomfruklosteret august 1785, fordi “jeg ved min til- samfulde år havde været en værdig og elskværdig tagende alder dagligen nærmer mig min fraskillelse” tantes alderdoms trøst og støtte kom hun i Odense – hun mente fra jordelivet, skønt hun kun var 48 år. Adelige Frøken Closter Ao 1771”, fortæller en lang Frøkenen takkede sin svigerinde “for den kærlighed indskrift på hendes gravplade i Søndersø Kirke. og godhed hun stedse har båret for mig.” Det passer med konservatorernes datering af Eft er at gæld, regninger, begravelse og en lille en nyindretning af rummet: Loft et blev pudset, der rente til frøken Munds broder i Norge var betalt, blev opsat bryst- og lysningspaneler med fyldinger, skulle alt tilfalde en ung kvinde, der boede i sviger- alt blev gråmalet, og der blev sat lærredsbetræk på indens hus. Det var frøken Wibike Charlotte Trolle, overvæggene. Desuden blev der isat en ny dør til der var klosterjomfru – i hvert fald på papiret – fra et rum ved trappen og skåret en tapetdør til et til- 1788, til hun blev gift i 1790. Og frøken Mund levede stødende rum. Det skete formentlig, eft er at hendes mod sin egen forventning endnu fj orten år, til 1799. nabo, frøken von Schleppegrell, var fl yttet hen i vest- gavlen. Rum 208 før og eft er restaureringen. Det senere så beskedne rum var 200 dekoreret med et mønster i stor skala, før der blev sat lærred op i 1770’erne. Foto: Roberto Fortuna. At the east gable end Christiane Sophie Magdalene Mund moved into this Miss Mund wrote a long will, dated at room, 208, at the age of 34, and “having for a full 20 Jomfruklosteret in August 1785, because “I with years been the consolation and support of a worthy my increasing age am daily approaching the time and lovable aunt in her old age, she moved to Odense of my departure” – she meant from this life, even Secular Convent for Unmarried Noblewomen in the though she was only 48 years old. Th e lady thanked year of our Lord 1771”, as a long inscription on her her sister-in-law “for the loving kindness she has coffi n plate states in Søndersø Church. always shown me”. Th is matches the conservators’ dating of Aft er paying for debts, bills, the funeral and a the refurbishment of the room: the ceiling was small pension to Miss Mund’s brother in Norway, replastered, moulded dadoes and side casings were everything was to go to a young woman who lived set up, the whole was painted in grey, and canvas in the sister-in-law’s house. Th is was Miss Wibike lining was attached to the upper walls. A new door Charlotte Trolle, who was a conventual – on paper to a room by the staircase was also inserted, and a at least – from 1788 until she married in 1790. And, jib door into an adjacent room. Th is was presumably contrary to her own expectation, Miss Mund lived done aft er her neighbour, Miss von Schleppegrell, another 14 years, until 1799. moved over to the west end. Room 208 before and aft er the restoration. Th e later modest room was decorated with a pattern to a large scale before canvas was put up in the 1770’s. 201 Photo: Roberto Fortuna. Rum 202 før og eft er restaurering. Det blev indrettet som køkken i 1898, da frøkenerne fi k hver deres husholdning, med indbyggede skabe bag en ny skillevæg. Det lillebitte 202 støbejernskomfur er nu istandsat, så det virker, og poleret med ovnsværte og Brasso, mens køkkenbordet med vask ved vinduet er fj ernet. Foto: Roberto Fortuna. Room 202 before and aft er the restoration. It was fi t out as a kitchen in 1898, when the common household was abandoned, with built-in closets behind a new partition wall. 203 Th e tiny cast iron cooking range has now been restored to work and polished with stove polish and Brasso, while the kitchen table with sink by the window has been removed. Photo: Roberto Fortuna. Rum 213 er et af de få, hvor et par af beboerne kendes, og den tomt fra 1891 til klosteret lukkede og var i meget dårlig forfat- sidste af dem havde soveværelse her. Rummet stod formentlig ning. Foto: Roberto Fortuna. Frøkenerne i 1800-tallet Th e ladies in the 19th century Der kunne være mange grunde til, at fl ere og flere Th ere might be many reasons why, from the beginning frøkener fra begyndelsen af 1800-tallet ikke fl yt- of the 19th century, more and more ladies failed to tede ind på Jomfruklosteret, når de blev oprykket til move into Jomfruklosteret when they were promoted klosterjomfruer. De unge boede naturligvis hos foræl- to conventual. Th e young people would naturally drene, men det gjorde de ældre også og tog sig af gamle live with their parents, but the older ones did so too, forældre. De hjalp gift e søstre og syge familiemedlem- caring for their parents in their old age. Th ey helped mer eller førte hus for ugift e brødre – de sagde jatak, married sisters and sick family members or kept house når deres tur kom, men blev hvor de var og hævede for unmarried brothers – they accepted promotion blot årpengene. when their turn came, but stayed where they were and Andre fl yttede ind, når de blev ældre og forplig- merely drew on the allowance. telserne over for familien var afviklede. De få frøken- Others moved into the Convent when they too er, der boede i Jomfruklosteret i dets sidste hundrede grew old and their duties towards their family were år, fl yttede først ind i moden alder, længe eft er opryk- over. Th e few ladies who lived at Jomfruklosteret in its ningen. Indtil da boede de hos forældrene – da det fi nal 100 years moved in at a mature age, long aft er their dengang lå i luft en, at en af døtrene uanset egne øn- promotion. Until that time they lived with their parents sker skulle afstå fra at gift e sig for at tage sig af dem på – it was an unwritten rule at the time that one of the deres gamle dage.