Female superior of a community of nuns, often an abbey
"Reverend Mother" redirects here. For the fictional characters of Dune, see Bene Gesserit.
Eufemia Szaniawska, Abbess of the Benedictine Monastery in Nieśwież with a crosier, c. 1768, National Museum in Warsaw
Abbess Joanna van Doorselaer de ten Ryen, Waasmunster Roosenberg Abbey
An abbess (Latin: abbatissa) is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey.
