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Vor
Frue Kirke
Copenhagen Cathedral ( Domkirken ) |
Dansk |
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Click on
photos below to enlarge |
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The Church of Our Lady, Vor Frue
Kirke, was rebuilt in 1817-32
after the destruction of the previous church by the British bombardment of
Copenhagen in 1807. It was designed by C.F. Hansen and adorned
internally by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. C.F. Hansen was the leading
architect in Denmark at the time, working in the prevailing Neo-classical
style. He designed Christiansborg Palace
Chapel and the cathedral at about the same time, the former using the
Ionic and Corinthian orders and the latter with the Doric order.
Externally it is the entrance portico that is the primary Doric element.
Fluted columns without bases, simple, flat capitals, a frieze with
triglyphs, and at the top a pediment. The bronze sculpture in
the pediment dates from 1928 but was from a design by Thorvaldsen in the
previous century ("John the Baptist preaching in the desert").
The church tower was added reluctantly by C.F. Hansen since towers were
not a feature in Classical times. It is in three sections with a narrow
gallery below the top section. To the east the church is rounded off with
a semicircular apse. The facades are finished in a reddish-coloured rendering. |
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There are two large statues right
and left of the portico: Moses by H. V. Bissen and
David by J. A. Jerichau, |
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One enters the church through a
vestibule with an arcade towards the nave. The walls of the nave consist
of arcades, with Doric colonnades above through which the light enters the
building. Statues of the twelve apostles by Thorvaldsen line the walls.
The roof is a Roman-style coffered barrel vault. The eye is drawn towards
the altar piece in the eastern apse where Thorvaldsen's figure of
Christ is strongly outlined by a golden light within a marbled Corinthian
porch. Above this is a round frieze with Thorvaldsen's relief of
"Christ's Walk to Calvary". |
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The baptismal
font in front of the altar is also by Thorvaldsen, but in this case it was
not part of the commission but a personal gift made by him to the church.
Made of Italian marble it depicts a kneeling angel holding a shell forming
the bowl of the font.
In the last
picture we look back towards the west end where the organ may be seen
above the vestibule. |
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The
cathedral and St. Peter's Church from
Frederiksholms Kanal |
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More about the
cathedral (Cathedral website)
More
about C.F. Hansen (Danish Golden Age website)
More
about Thorvaldsen (Thorvaldsen Museum)
Front page of Astoft's
Danish section
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