Varnhem Abbey [SEP] religious order
Varnhem Abbey
Varnhem Abbey () in Varnhem, Västergötland, Sweden was founded around 1150 by monks of the Cistercian Order from Alvastra Abbey in Östergötland. 
The Cistercian Order used the same floor plan for all its abbeys, which makes it possible to easily locate the different rooms and halls regardless of the building site.
History.
A wooden and a stone church were both erected on the site before the abbey was built. The stone church was erected in the 1040s at the latest, and is the oldest known
Småland. Erik died shortly thereafter and was buried at Varnhem Abbey together with his father and his father’s second wife.
According to the Magnúss saga lagabœtis, Erik called himself "Eirek allz-ekki" because he had no title. Only when Magnus III became king did Erik change his title and call himself "Duke".
When Birger Jarl's grave in Varnhem Abbey was opened and examined in May 2002, osteologist Torbjörn Ahlström from Lund University confirmed that the tomb contained the remains of three people – probably Birger