Sæby Kirke

Sæby Church seen from the north

The Marienkirche of Sæby (Danish. Vor Frue Kirke Sæby ) is a former monastery church in Sæby in northern Jutland . The church, built around 1400, belongs to the Frederikshavn Provsti in the diocese of Aalborg .

Building history

The Marienkirche was originally built as a parish church and later expanded several times. A large Carmelite monastery was founded in Sæby in the 15th century at the instigation of Bishop Jep Friis , who lives in the nearby Børglum monastery . The church was integrated into the four-winged abbey as the south wing and was expanded several times in connection with the founding of the monastery until 1460. The nave reached a length of 54 meters with a width of only 8 meters, which makes it look very narrow. After the Reformation , the remaining monastery buildings were gradually demolished, only the church remained.

Furnishing

Paintings

The frescoes are among the most important in the region. The oldest are on the north wall. In addition, the entire vault of the church is decorated with frescoes from the 15th century. They show scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and the Last Judgment .

altar

The late Gothic altarpiece was made in the Netherlands . It was donated by the last two bishops in Börglum, Niels Stygge Rosenkrantz and Stygge Krumpen. The carving in the middle shows the coronation of the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. Paintings on the side wings tell of the birth of Jesus. Here, too, Mary is a central motif. On the predella you see the Virgin on her deathbed, flanked by the portraits of the four evangelists .

The wooden baptism from 1645

To baptize

The church has two baptisms. One is a baroque woodwork from 1645. The other is more recent and made of granite.

pulpit

The Renaissance pulpit is covered by an oversized sound cover dating from 1577.

Choir stalls

In the choir there are 32 monks' seats on the north and south sides, which are still reminiscent of the former Carmelite monastery .

Virgin Mary statue

On the south side there is a square chapel with a statue of the Virgin Mary made by Claus Berg from Odense .

Organ gallery and organ

Pictures of the twelve apostles can be seen on the parapet of the organ gallery . The organ dates from 1983, but there is evidence that the church had an organ as early as 1631.