Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen
Church of Our Lady | |
---|---|
Vor Frue Kirke | |
Neo-Classicism | |
Years built | 1817–1829 |
Groundbreaking | 1 November 1817 |
Completed | 1829 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 1184 seats |
Length | 86 m (282 ft 2 in) |
Width | 33 m (108 ft 3 in) |
Nave width | 16 m (52 ft 6 in) |
Number of towers | 1 |
Tower height | 58 m (190 ft 3 in) |
Bells | 4 |
Administration | |
Diocese | Copenhagen |
Parish | Vor Frue |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | Peter Skov-Jakobsen |
Provost | Johannes Gregers Jensen |
Priest(s) | Steffen Ringgaard Andresen Eva-Maria Schwarz Stine Munch Signe Malene Berg Christian Monrad |
Laity | |
Organist(s) | Hanne Kuhlmann |
The Church of Our Lady (Danish: Vor Frue Kirke) is the Lutheran cathedral of Copenhagen. It is situated on the Frue Plads public square in central Copenhagen, next to the historic main building of the University of Copenhagen.[1]
The present-day version of the church was designed by the architect
History
Construction of the original Collegiate Church of St. Mary (den hellige Marias kirke) began no later than 1187 under archbishop Absalon (c. 1128–1201). The church was located on the highest point near the new town of Havn, later Copenhagen. Absalon was the bishop of Roskilde (Zealand), Denmark's capital of that era, and spent most of his life securing Denmark from foreign attacks. He built many churches and monasteries, while also founding Copenhagen as Denmark's Baltic port city. Named archbishop of Lund in 1178, Absalon accepted only under threat of excommunication. St. Mary's construction continued sporadically until 1209, when it was consecrated by Absalon's successor, bishop Peder Sunesen (c. 1161–1214) on Annunciation Sunday in March, which became the church's traditional feast day. The church was built in Romanesque style with its half-rounded arches inside and out.[3][4]
In 1314, a fire destroyed the limestone church so completely that it was rebuilt in the popular new building material of the day, oversized red brick. The style of building was Gothic, with its typical pointed arches. The rebuilding of the simple church with a long nave and choir continued until 1388. Due to a lack of money, the great tower was not built until the reign of king
A school was established early on. In 1479, parts of the church school received a charter and become the University of Copenhagen. Professors were brought from
The
Just a year later Our Lady Church celebrated the acceptance of the
Lightning strikes damaged the church in 1573 and 1585, and some of the vaulting, tower, and roof collapsed after the resulting fires. The tower was eventually demolished, but rebuilt by 1609. It had an extremely tall pyramidal central spire with four shorter spires at each corner.[7]
The medieval proto-cathedral was completely destroyed by
After the 1728 fire, the new tower rose, higher than the previous one tapering to a tall spire modeled after the spire of
In September 1807, the cathedral was destroyed during the
Denmark's finest architect,[
The tower, based on the older medieval tower, became a controversial afterthought. The Neo-Classical style did not include towers, but citizens demanded and got a tower modeled on the older medieval tower. The tower is 60 meters high and contains four bells. "Stormklokken", cast in 1828 by Soren Hornhaver, is the heaviest bell in Denmark at 4 tons. The oldest bell in Denmark also hangs there cast in 1490 by Olug Kegge. It was transferred to Our Lady Church from Antvorskov Kloster. A third bell was cast in 1699 by Friderich Holtzmann. The fourth cast by Anker Heegaard in 1876.[6]
Our Lady Church was designated Denmark's National Cathedral in 1924. Its relatively recent cathedral status stems from the splitting of
Major renovation organized by Professor Vilhelm Wohlert (1920–2007) in 1977–79 removed various additions that had accrued in the interior of the church over the years. Marcussen & Søn built a new large central organ in 1995, with a choir organ added in 2002. The crypt has been converted into a museum which contains models of the various iterations of the building.[11]
Architecture
The building measures 83 m in length and 33 m in width. The interior of the nave is 60 m long and over 25 m from floor to ceiling. With all galleries open, the church can seat more than 1100 people. The tower is 60 m high and houses the four church bells. Stormklokken weighs 4 tons and is the largest bell in Denmark. The smallest bell in the tower is used at morning service among other occasions. It is the oldest bell in the country, dating from 1490 and taken from the former Antvorskov Kloster in Slagelse. [12]
The pediment is decorated with bronzes of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. The interior is likewise decorated with the twelve apostles (one in front of each of the piers of the central nave), the Risen Christ displaying the wounds in his body (in a niche above the altar) and in front of the altar the baptismal font in the form of an angel holding a large scallop shell, all in Italian carrara marble. All of these sculptures were completed in Rome by the famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. In the aisles, a bronze bust of Bertel Thorvaldsen, modeled by Herman Wilhelm Bissen (1798–1868) is on display along with many portraits of bishops and deans. [13]
Royal events in the church
- 1363 – Wedding of Håkon VI of Norway
- 28 October 1449 – Coronation and marriage of King Christian I of Denmark and Queen Dorothea of Brandenburg.
- 1536? – Coronation of King Christian III of Denmark.
- 1559 – Coronation of King Frederick II of Denmark.
- 17 August 1596 – Coronation of King Christian IV of Denmark.
- 1648 – Coronation of King Frederick III of Denmark.
- 14 May 2004 – Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
Burials
Burials in the church or former churchyard include:
- Cort Adeler (1622–1675), naval officer
- Caspar Bartholin (1558–1628), physician and theologian
- Thomas Bartholin (1616–1680), physician, mathematician and theologian
- Thomas Bartholin (1659–1690), historian
- Henrik Bornemann (1646–1710), clergyman and theologian
- Hans Brochmand (1594–1638), theologian and rector
- Jesper Brochmand (1585–1652), clergyman and theologian
- Poul Egede(1708–1789), theologian, linguist and missionary
- Thomas Fincke (1561–1656), mathematician and physicist
- Christian Foss (1626–1680), physician and Supreme Court justice
- Jens Foss (1629–1687), physician and councillor
- Matthias Foss (1627–1683), physician
- Christian Friis (1556–1616), statesman and landowner
- Johan Friis (1494–1570), statesman and landowner
- Johan Ludvig Holstein (1694–1763), statesman
- Christian Horrebow (1718–1776), astronomer
- Anders Krag (1553–1600), physicist, physician and rector
- Poul Madsen (1527–1590), clergyman
- Jacob Madsen Aarhus (538–1586), theologian and rector
- Árni Magnússon (1663–1730), scholar and collector
- Peder Palladius (1503–1560), clergyman and reformer
- Hans Hansen Resen (1596–1653), theologian and clergyman
- Hans Poulsen Resen (1561–1638), theologian and clergyman
- Christen Friis Rottbøll (1727–1797), physician and botanist
- Ole Rømer (1644–1710), astronomer[14]
- Laurids Mortensen Scavenius (1589–1655), clergyman
- Peder Lauridsen Scavenius (1623–1685), jurist, civil servant, rector and landowner
- Gerhard Schøning (1722–1780), historian, writer and rector
- Johan Peter Suhr (1712–1785), merchant
- Jørgen Vind (1593–1644), statesman
- Christen Worm (1672–1737), theologian
- Ole Worm (1588–1654), physician, natural scientist, antiquarian and collector
- Marcus Wøldike (1699–1750), theologian
Broadcast services
Each morning (except Sundays), between 8.05 and 8.25 local time,
Gallery
-
Baptismal font by Thorvaldsen
-
Ceiling
-
Altar
-
Organ
-
Interior
-
Pulpit
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Moses statue by Herman Wilhelm Bissen
References
- ^ "Vor Frue Kirke". Nationalmuseet. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Hansen, Christian Frederik, 1756–1845, Arkitekt". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Absalon". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Sunesen, Peder, o.1161–1214, Biskop". Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Susanne Torgard. "Kirkens historie". domkirken.dk. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "Vor Frue Kirke / Københavns Domkirke". kirkehistorie.dk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Bugenhagen, Johann (1485–1558)". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 1 September 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Friedrich Ehbisch". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "Bertel Thorvaldsen". Kunstindeks Danmark. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Vilhelm Wohlert". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Antvorskov Kloster". Salmonsens konversationsleksikon. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Herman Vilhelm Bissen". Den Store Danske, Gyldendal. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Roemer, Ole Christensen". Galileo Project. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ Morgenandagten Archived 7 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine (dr.dk/radio)
External links
- Official website (in Danish)
- Vor Frue Kirke Nasjonalmuseet (in Danish)
- Copenhagen's Cathedral Discover Denmark & Copenhagen
- Source