Vor Frue Kirke (Kalundborg)
The Frauenkirche (Danish: Vor Frue Kirke ) in the Danish city of Kalundborg is the Evangelical Lutheran parish church of Vor Frue Sogn . It is one of the most unusual medieval sacred buildings in Europe.
Building history
The five- tower brick building was built around 1170–1190 by Esbern Snare , the older brother of Bishop Absalon . In 1170 he had his castle built over the bay, under whose protection the town of Kalundborg developed.
The central building rises above a square nave, from which four cross arms of equal length extend, each crowned by octagonal towers. The 44 m high central Marienturm rests on 6.2 m high granite columns. The Greek cross on the floor plan is probably based on Byzantine models, the five towers more closely resemble Russian sacred buildings. In any case, the overall composition is unique in Northern Europe. However, some details refer to the construction activities of the Hvide in Ringsted and Sorø .
Although the church was included in the fortifications around the castle, there are hardly any traces of an actual fortification . So it is not a fortified church . The castle-like appearance is likely to come from the medieval conception of a heavenly Jerusalem : a fortified city with five towers. According to the Bible, God and man would live together here at the end of the Apocalypse .
In the 15th century, a late Gothic sacristy was added to the eastern arm of the cross, and a late Gothic armory at the southeast portal was demolished in 1870.
On September 7, 1827, the central tower collapsed, presumably after the foundations had been weakened by burials under the church floor. It was not until 1867–71 that Vilhelm Tvede directed extensive reconstruction. The side towers were provided with pointed gables and the tower domes were covered with copper.
inner space
In 1916–21, Andreas and Mogens Clemmensen renovated the interior, largely restoring the original condition. The unplastered brick walls give the room an intimate character and the proportions seem harmonious.
inventory
The baroque altar comes from the workshop of Lorentz Jørgensen (1650), a pupil of Hans Gudewerdt the Younger and carver from the Eckernförde carving school . It shows the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and the evangelists. The gilded crucifix dates from the 12th century, the granite font is Romanesque, the pulpit from 1870, painted by Anton Dorph .
gallery
View from the harbor to Kalundborg
View from the south
Postcard around 1910
Similar sacred buildings in Germany
The St. Mary's Church in Brandenburg / Havel, built in 1222 but demolished in 1722 , was also a central building with arms of equal length and four corner towers, but without a crossing tower. The Church of Our Lady in Trier, begun around 1230, has the layout of a Greek cross with corner chapels and a central tower, but no corner towers.
literature
- Henning Dehn-Nielsen: Kirker og klostre i Danmark . Copenhagen 2nd edition 1998, pp. 69-71.
Web links
- Vor Frue Sogn Homepage of the parish
Coordinates: 55 ° 40 ′ 49.6 " N , 11 ° 4 ′ 51.2" E