Undløse Church

Romanesque (red) and Gothic (green) floor plan

Nave with frescoes

Altar from 1644 and altar table (around 1575–1600)

Triumphal cross (14th century) with figure of Christ (around 1450)

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Undløse ( Danish Undløse Kirke ) is in the western part of the Danish island of Zealand ( Danish Sjælland ). It belongs to the Undløse Sogn parish 19 km south of Holbæk . The frescoes from the 15th century are from the as Union champion known champion of Fogdö , who also Undløse Master ( Danish Undløsemester ) is called.

History and building history

Construction of the nave began at the time of Waldemar I , probably in the late 12th century. Traces of the small arched windows can still be seen in the western Romanesque part , made of hewn field stones, with the south door and the walled up “woman's door” on the north side.

In 1441 the Bishop of the Faroe Islands consecrated a chapel with an altar on St. Olav . The location of the chapel is unknown, it may have been an extension on the north side of the choir that was later demolished.

The tower and the armory were built around 1500. Between 1500 and 1525 the choir with the small apse was demolished and the church was extended by a Gothic nave choir . At around the same time, a sacristy was built on the north side of the choir . The extensive expansion is probably due to the fact that the church dedicated to Laurentius was a popular pilgrimage church .

The sacristy from the most recent Catholic period was also the burial place for the priests of the church until it was forbidden in 1741 by the owner of the Kongsdal estate , which was the patron of the church . Between 1760 and 1771 the western part was rebuilt for use as a crypt and separated from the rest of the room by an arcade with wrought iron bars. There are three sarcophagi from the former owners of Kongsdal: Catharina von Hauch, b. von der Maase († 1786) and that of her first and second husband, Chamberlain AH von Staffeldt († 1759) and General Andreas von Hauch († 1782).

Furnishing

Much of the old, rich furnishings have been preserved. Church stalls or their cheeks from different times over almost 100 years since the late 16th century. A sexton's chair from 1581 and a pastor's chair (former confessional ) from 1603, which was renovated in 1686. Below the pulpit are some pews with coats of arms, initials and carvings that were reserved for the patronage of Kongsdal.

A triumphal cross from the first half of the 14th century with a figure of Christ from around 1450 hangs on the north wall of the choir. Opposite the pulpit stands a Romanesque baptismal font made of gray granite on a conical base walled up on the floor.

Epitaphs

An empty (well cleaned) epitaph made of oak from 1650 to 1675 with damaged figures is located next to the organ gallery on the north wall of the tower. On the west wall of the armory is a marble relief from 1847 to 1849, a memorial for Hector Frederik Janson Estrup, knight of the Dannebrogden and owner of Kongsdal from 1835 to 1846. Further epitaphs are in the inaccessible sacristy - the Hauch Chapel .

altar

On the altar table from around 1575–1600 is the altar panel from 1644 (beginning of the cartilage baroque ), probably from the workshop of Abel Schrøder in Næstved , restored in 1937. The original altar, of which neither the age nor the appearance are known, was added in 1644 destroyed in a fire "because of negligence or misconduct by the sexton with the altar candles". Perhaps the 143 cm high figure of Mary with Child from around 1450–1500 on the south wall of the nave comes from this altar or a former side altar.

pulpit

Pulpit from 1643

The pulpit from 1643 was carved by Abel Schrøder the Younger from Næstved and restored in 1936. In the fields pictures of the childhood of Jesus, his baptism , crucifixion and resurrection . In the sound cover the inscription: S (alig) F (ru) Birgete Brahe. H (r) Fredrich Redtz. Frw Sophia Høgh. Anno Domini. 1644 . Frederik Reedtz and his wife Brigitte Brahe and Sophia Høgh were the owners of Gut Kongsdal. Frederik Reedtz (Redtz) is also named on other inventory items as a donor.

Organ and gallery

The organ was bought by the church owner (Patronat Kongsdalen) Jacob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup around 1852. It is a much older, simple standard organ with a pipe-free front from the workshop of Frederick Hoffmann Ramus in Copenhagen . The Schleifwindladen instrument has a manual with four parts : Gedakt 8 ′, Gamba 8 ′, Flute 4 ′ and Octave 2 ′. In 1957 a new winch was installed in connection with the restoration . The organ stands in the western part of the nave in front of the walled-up former women's door on the north side.

At the western end of the nave there was an organ gallery from around 1650–75 until 1852 . During the restoration in 1956-57, it was placed on the west side of the tower without a rear or access. Pastors and teachers from the period from 1537 to 1722 are named on the three side fields. In the middle field is written in Latin that “the three chapels of St. Laurentius, Olav and Anna were built under the papacy and under the leadership of the noble men Mr. Otto Krabbe and Mr. Hans Bagger “were renewed in 1686.

Frescoes

The wall paintings dating from around 1430-50 are also the Union Master or Undløse Master called Master of Fogdö attributed the frescoes from the mid-15th century, the tower 90 km away Nødebo Church are preserved.

Biblical scenes are depicted on Christian holidays: