The
Church of Our Lady is the
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
and the National Cathedral of Denmark. It is situated on Vor Frue Plads and next to the main building of the
University of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
The present day version of the church was designed by the architect
Christian Frederik HansenChristian Frederik Hansen , known as C.F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 1700s and the mid 1800s, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art the most powerful person in artistic circles for many years...
in the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
style and was completed in 1829.
Construction of the original Collegiate Church of St. Mary, began no later than 1187 under Bishop
AbsalonAbsalon was a Danish archbishop and statesman. He was the son of Asser Rig of Fjenneslev , at whose castle he and his brother Esbjørn were brought up along with the young prince Valdemar, afterwards King Valdemar I.-Early life:After giving Absalon the rudiments of a sound education at home, which...
located on the highest point near the new town of Havn, later
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
.
The
Church of Our Lady is the
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
and the National Cathedral of Denmark. It is situated on Vor Frue Plads and next to the main building of the
University of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
The present day version of the church was designed by the architect
Christian Frederik HansenChristian Frederik Hansen , known as C.F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 1700s and the mid 1800s, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art the most powerful person in artistic circles for many years...
in the
neoclassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
style and was completed in 1829.
History
Construction of the original Collegiate Church of St. Mary, began no later than 1187 under Bishop
AbsalonAbsalon was a Danish archbishop and statesman. He was the son of Asser Rig of Fjenneslev , at whose castle he and his brother Esbjørn were brought up along with the young prince Valdemar, afterwards King Valdemar I.-Early life:After giving Absalon the rudiments of a sound education at home, which...
located on the highest point near the new town of Havn, later
CopenhagenCopenhagen ; ) is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban area with a population of 1,167,569 and a metropolitan area with a population of 1,875,179...
. Bishop Absalon (1128-1201) was Bishop of Roskilde, and spent the rest of his life securing Denmark from foreign attacks and building many churches, monasteries, and founding of Copenhagen as a Denmark's Baltic port city. He was named Archbishop of Lund in 1178 and accepted only under threat of excommunication. Building at St Mary's continued on and off until 1209 when it was consecrated by Absalon's successor, Bishop Peder Sunesen on Ascension Sunday in March, the traditional feast day of the cathedral. The church was built in Romanesque style with its half-rounded arches inside and out. The church belonged to Roskilde Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Zealand and the capital of Denmark at the time.
In 1314 a fire destroyed the limestone cathedral so completely that it was rebuilt in the popular new building material of the day, over-sized 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 Christian II. It was as high as the church was long, and from artwork of the day, out of proportion to the size of the church.
A school was established early on and in 1479 parts of the church school were chartered to become the University of Copenhagen. Professors were brought from Cologne, Germany. The university brought an international faculty that widened Denmark's exposure to the great ideas and philosophies of the day. The university challenged the growth of the Protestant movement, but was eventually closed. By 1537 the university reopened as a center for Lutheran studies.
The
Protestant ReformationThe Reformation in Denmark meant the transition from Roman Catholicism to Protestant Lutheranism in the Church of Denmark which was implemented in 1536 at the decision of King Christian III...
was hard on the St Mary's. Citizens of Copenhagen had elected to follow Luther, but Catholic officials at St Mary's tried to maintain the church as a center of Catholic resistance to change in Copenhagen. By royal decree both Catholic priests and Lutheran preachers were commanded to use the church jointly which incensed the majority of Copenhagen's population. On 27 Dec 1530 hundreds of citizens stormed St Mary's and destroyed every statue and tore the choir stalls to pieces. The richly gilt 17 altars were stripped of anything of value and smashed. Vestments, and altar equipment were stripped of jewels and gold, reliquaries were broken open and the contents destroyed. Even the name "St Mary's" became "Vor Frue Kirke", Our Lady's Church in a desire to keep the historic reference to Mary without the use of the un-Lutheran "Saint" appellation. Just a year later Our Lady Church celebrated the acceptance of the Lutheran Order presided over by Johan Bugenhagen, an associate of
Martin LutherMartin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could...
. 1539 saw the installation of the first Lutheran superintendents, later bishops, of Denmark. In 1568 the dean of Our Lady Church was charged with defining accepted practice for Lutheran church services in Denmark under the direction of the Bishop of Zealand, and since that time the dean and later bishop of Our Lady Church has retained that role in the Danish National Church.
Lightning strikes damaged the church in 1573 and 1585 collapsing the some of the vaulting, tower, and roof. The tower was eventually torn down and rebuilt by 1609. It had an extremely tall pyramidal central spire with four shorter spires at each corner.
The medieval cathedral along with about a third of the rest of the city burned down in a four day long conflagration in October 1728. Our Lady was completely destroyed. In addition, all the many chapels and eighty epitaphs commemorating some of Denmark's most prominent nobles and Our Lady's wealthy parishioners were destroyed. The church was reconstructed in red brick by 1738 with a simple long nave and rounded choir added at the end, essentially on the same plan as the medieval church. The interior was a combination of Gothic and the ornate
BaroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
style of the time. Ranks of tall half-round windows let in natural light and the ribbed brick vaulting arched high over head from two long rows of squared pillars supporting the roof. A row of side chapels ringed the nave and choir giving the appearance of a five aisled church which impressed all who entered, including King Christian the VI who oversaw the building's progress with impatience. Friedrich Ehbisch carved a magnificent new
altarpieceAn altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
and pulpit in the finest Baroque tradition. The best-preserved ancient gravestones from the floor of the old church were replaced in the floor although not in the same locations as before. The exterior was plain red brick with the exception of an ornate sandstone doorways beneath the spire.
After the fire of 1728 the new tower rose higher than the previous one tapering to a tall spire modeled after the spire of St. Martin in the Fields in London. The bells from St Nikolai Church were moved to the new spire in 1743 and a set of four new bells were cast and added to the tower. The largest bell "The King's Bell" weighed just over 6000 kg. In time the tower held 42 bells. It was popular at the time to pay for extra ringing after weddings and funerals, which was a source of complaint by university students who were trying to study. A smaller tower in the same style was added to the roof line above the choir.
In September 1807 the cathedral fell victim to the bombardment of Copenhagen by the British Navy under Admiral James Gambier in the Napoleonic Wars. The English demanded the surrender of the Danish Fleet and the city. The Danes refused, and with most of the army on the border of Schleswig-Holstein, the city was nearly defenseless. For three days the British fleet bombarded the city and the coastal forts. British gunners used the tower of Our Lady Church for range practice setting it ablaze. The church was burned to the ground along with nearby sections of Copenhagen. Copenhagen surrendered and the fleet was turned over to the British, a humiliating defeat for Denmark.
Denmark's finest architect, Christian Frederik Hansen, and the city magistrate redesigned the cathedral in the
Neo-ClassicalNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, both as a reaction against the Rococo style of anti-tectonic naturalistic ornament, and an outgrowth of some classicizing features of Late Baroque...
style. Due to a lack of resources they incorporated elements of the surviving walls. The old surviving vaulting was blown up to make way for a church built in the new style. A pillared portico and a flat interior ceiling and simple classical lines are very different from the medieval church. The cornerstone was laid in 1817 and the work completed by Whitsun Day 1829.
Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish/Icelandic sculptor.-Biography:Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen in 1770 , the son of an Icelander who had settled in Denmark and there carried on the trade of a wood-carver. This account is disputed by some Icelanders, who claim Thorvaldsen was born in Iceland...
was commissioned to decorate the interior with statues of Christ and the apostles; Judas Iscariot replaced by St Paul. Other artists also contributed sculptures and paintings.
The tower, based on the older medieval tower, was 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 Abbey Church (Klosterkirke). A third bell was cast in 1699 by Friderich Holtzmann. The fourth cast by Anker Heegaard in 1876.
Thorvaldsen carved and donated the modern font as a personal gift to the cathedral.
Our Lady Church was designated the National Cathedral of Denmark only in 1924. Its relatively recent cathedral status stems from the splitting of Zealand (Sjaelland) into two Lutheran dioceses in 1922.
Major renovation organized by Professor Vilhelm Wohlert in 1977-79 removed various additions that had accrued in the interior of the church over the years. A new large central organ was completed 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.
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, used at morning service among other occasions, is the oldest bell in the country, dating from 1490 and taken from Antvorskov Klosterkirke).
The pediment is decorated with bronzes of Jesus and the Apostles. The interior is likewise decorated with the twelve apostles, Jesus and an angel, all in Italian marble. All of these sculptures were completed in Rome by the famous Danish sculptor
Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish/Icelandic sculptor.-Biography:Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen in 1770 , the son of an Icelander who had settled in Denmark and there carried on the trade of a wood-carver. This account is disputed by some Icelanders, who claim Thorvaldsen was born in Iceland...
.
In the aisles, a bronze bust of Bertel Thorvaldsen, modelled by
Herman Wilhelm BissenHerman Wilhelm Bissen was a Danish sculptor.Bissen first studied painting in Copenhagen, then became a pupil of the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. In 1824, he travelled to Rome and met Christian Daniel Rauch in Berlin. Under the influence of Thorvaldsen, his style changed from romanticism to...
, is on display along with many portraits of bishops and deans.
Royal events in the church
- 1363 - Wedding of Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden , and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century.-Name:...
and Håkon VI of Norway
- October 28, 1449 - Coronation and marriage of King Christian I of Denmark
Christian I , Danish monarch and union king of Denmark , Norway and Sweden , under the Kalmar Union. In Sweden his short tenure as monarch was preceded by regents, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and Erik Axelsson Tott and succeeded by regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa...
and Queen Dorothea of BrandenburgDorothea of Brandenburg was the consort of Christopher of Bavaria and Christian I of Denmark. She is also known as Dorothea of Hohenzollern and as Dorothy Achillies. She was queen of Denmark , Norway and Sweden two times each...
.
- 1536? - Coronation of King Christian III of Denmark
Christian III , king of Denmark and Norway, was the son of Frederick I of Denmark and his first consort, Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
.
- 1559 - Coronation of King Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II , King of Denmark-Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death. He was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg....
.
- August 17, 1596 - Coronation of King Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1588 until his death. He is sometimes referred to as Christian Firtal in Denmark and Christian Kvart or Quart in Norway.-Biography:...
.
- 1648 - Coronation of King Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He stands as the ruler who introduced absolute monarchy in Denmark.-Before becoming king:...
.
- May 14, 2004 - Wedding of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark
Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark is the heir apparent to the Throne of Denmark. Frederik is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, the Prince Consort...
, and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
Broadcasts
Danmarks RadioThe Danish Broadcasting Corporation is Denmark's national broadcasting corporation. Founded as a public service organization in 1925, DR is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise...
broadcasts a morning
act of worshipIn the Protestant denominations of Christianity, a service of worship is a meeting whose primary purpose is the worship of God. The phrase is normally shortened to service. It is also commonly called a worship service...
from the cathedral every day except Sundays between 8.05 and 8.25 local time, and makes a recording of the latest transmission available via the internet
http://www.dr.dk/P2/Morgenandagten/.
External links