Odense Cathedral

Sankt Knuds Kirke

The St. Knuds Cathedral in Odense (Danish: Odense Domkirke, Sankt Knuds Kirke ) is the episcopal church of the Diocese of Funen . With a floor space of 62 by 22 meters, it is one of the largest churches in Denmark .

Political framework

Even before 988, a diocese called Othinia (today Odense) was founded as a suffragan from Hamburg-Bremen. It also included the southern Danish Baltic islands. In 1072 it fell under the jurisdiction of Roskilde , but was soon afterwards subordinated to the Archdiocese of Lund.

The namesake King Knud IV. Was slain by insurgents on July 10, 1086 with 17 followers, including his brother Benedikt, in the immediate vicinity - in the Albani Church - and then canonized fourteen years later. According to tradition, miraculous healings of the blind, deaf and sick took place at his grave under the high altar of the new church.

Building history

View from the nave into the significantly higher choir

The first church on site, Sankt Albani, had stood a little northeast. The three-aisled wooden cruciform basilica with vaulted crypt was largely made accessible through archaeological excavations. However, there is uncertainty about the western end with one or two towers.

Soon after the murder of Knud, the construction of the direct predecessor of today's cathedral began to the southwest of the Albanikirche. The travertine structure was to be almost as large as the Lund Cathedral, which had just begun at the time . In 1095 construction had progressed so far that Knud's body could be transferred to the crypt, that is, before his canonization on July 10, 1100. In 1122 the church was completed and consecrated in Knud's name. More detailed information is missing about their shape. A city fire devastated Odense in 1247. It is seen as the reason for the construction of the current church.

However, the construction of this Gothic church did not begin until 1280. The arched brick basilica was built on the foundations of the travertine church. The crypt and thus the high floor level of the choir and the straight choir closure were taken over from the Romanesque predecessor. However, the character of the building is new and corresponds to the brick Gothic - not only on the southern Baltic coast. First the nave and choir were built. In the middle of the 15th century, the travertine transept between the two was demolished and replaced by a straight continuation of the nave. This lack of a transept is a particularly strong deviation from the previous building. Like the Magdeburg Cathedral , which began in the early Gothic period, and the Gniezno Cathedral , which was rebuilt in Gothic style from 1340 (after being destroyed by the Teutonic Order ) , the Odense Cathedral has no flying buttresses .

After 1466, planning began on the bell tower, which was finally completed in 1586. The tower houses five bells from 1300, 1597, 1677, 1767 and 1880.

Furnishing

Gothic altar

The showpiece of the church is an altar from 1521, the main work of the Lübeck woodcarver Claus Berg . It shows similarities with the altar in the Wittstocker Marienkirche, also from Berg . It comes from the Franciscan church that was demolished in 1807.

Knud's and Benedict's remains are kept below the altar near the crypt .

Christina of Saxony was buried in the church.

An epitaph in memory of Christoph von Dohna , who was also buried in the church, is attributed to Willem van den Blocke .

View of the organ

The large organ dates from 1752 and was made by Amdie Worm. It has 57 stops on four manual works and a pedal .

I main work C– Quintatön 16 ′ Principal 8th' Spidsfløjte 8th' Octave 4 ′ Spidsfløjte 4 ′ Quint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Octave 2 ′ Mixture V Sharp IV Trumpet 16 ′ Trumpet 8th'

II Rückpositiv C– Principal 8th' Quintatön 8th' Gedakt 8th' Octave 4 ′ Rørfløjte 4 ′ Octave 2 ′ Gemshorn 2 ′ Quint 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Sesquialtera II Sharp IV – VI Dulcian 16 ′ Krumhorn 8th'

III breastwork C– Gedakt 8th' Principal 4 ′ Gedaktfløjte 4 ′ Octave 2 ′ Waldfløjte 2 ′ Sivfløjte 1' Cymbel III shelf 16 ′ Skalmeje 8th'

IV Crescendo work C– Drone 16 ′ Rørfløjte 8th' Fugara 8th' Vox celeste 8th' Principal 4 ′ Traversfløjte 4 ′ Spidsquint 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Nathorn 2 ′ third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ Octave 1' Mixture IV-V Bassoon 16 ′ Obo 8th'

Pedals C– Principal 16 ′ Subbas 16 ′ Octave 8th' Gedakt 8th' Octave 4 ′ Hulfløjte 4 ′ Nathorn 2 ′ Mixture VI Basun 32 ′ Basun 16 ′ Trumpet 8th' Trumpet 4 ′

During the last restoration in 1870, the crypt, which was closed during the Reformation, was exposed again.

bishop

The current bishop of the Danish national church is Tine Lindhardt .

See also

• List of the Bishops of Funen

Web links

Commons : Sankt Knud (Odense)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Odense Cathedral Parish
• Danmarks Kirker: Skt.Knuds Kirke - Odense Domkirke → Skt.Knuds Kirke (bygning og kalkmaleri) (PDF), in it building description from page 102

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Information about the organ (Danish)
2. ^ Biskop Tine Lindhardt . Website of the Diocese of Funen. Retrieved August 23, 2013.

Coordinates: 55 ° 23 ′ 43.4 "  N , 10 ° 23 ′ 20.3"  E