Church of Christ, Copenhagen
Encyclopedia
The Church of Christ is a Church of Denmark
parish church situated on Enghave Plads in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. Completed in 1900 to the design of Valdemar Koch
, wjo also built several other churches in Copenhagen around that time, it was the first new church to be opened in the fast-growing neighbourhood to relieve the preassure on St. Mathew's. Its style is inspired by Italian
Romanseque
church architecture.
was the first church to be built in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen. By the end of the century the population of the parish had reached 70,000 and the need for new churches had become evident.
The Church of Christ on Enghave Plads was the second church to be built in the neighbourhood. It was the result of an initiative taken by Th. Løgstrup, a pastor based in Fredericia
in Jutland
. He had heard about the shortage of churches in the rapidly growing capital and conceived the idea that pastors from around the country should donate a church to the city. He began a collection in 1893 and by 1898 adequate funds had been raised for construction to start on a site provided free of charge by the city. The architect Valdemar Koch
was commissioned to make the design and ground was broken on 29 March 1898.
The new church was inaugurated on 6 May 1900 at a ceremony attended by, among others, King Christian IX
and about 100 pastors from around the country. Construction costs amounted to DKK
142,000. As a result, the Parish of Christ was disjoined from that of St. Matthew's. The church was refurbished in 1963-64.
design with inspiration from Italian
Romanesque
church architecture. Valdemar Koch claimed not to have relied on a specific church for inspiration but its design is quite similar to that of Spoleto Cathedral in Spoleto
north of Rome
.
The church is oriented along a north-south axis. It is built in yellow brick but the south-facing main facade towards the street is clad in limestone
with ornamental bands in green-glazed tiles
. In front of the main entrance there is a loggia
supported by six columns and a roof clad in copper. Also clad in limestone, the tower stands at the south-west corner of the building. Above the loggia, the facade features a series of round-arched windows, highest in the middle to reflect the shape of the triangular gable.
The gable is topped by a kneeling angel created by Thomas Bærentzen. He also designed the angels on the loggia, the two animal figures in the window group and the relief
s at the base of the tower depicting the Four Evangelists' symbols.
A short wall with two arched gates to the right of the church connects it to the neighbouring residential building. The first gate leads to the entrance to the church office along the side of the church while the second affords access to an interior courtyard space which surrounds the church on three sides and has facilities for the adjoining residential buildings. The right "representative" side of the church building is dressed while the left side stands in blank brick.
Raised three steps from the nave, the choir has a large round-arched, vaulted altar niche in its rear wall with a fresco by Johannes Kragh. The altarpiece depicting the birth of Christ was painted by Axel Helsted
in 1903. The bronze font basin was designed by Lorentz Frølich.
Church of Denmark
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Church of Denmark or Danish National Church, is the state church and largest denomination in Denmark and Greenland...
parish church situated on Enghave Plads in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Completed in 1900 to the design of Valdemar Koch
Valdemar Koch
Otto Valdemar Koch was a Danish architect and local politician. He designed a number of churches in Copenhagen.-Biography:...
, wjo also built several other churches in Copenhagen around that time, it was the first new church to be opened in the fast-growing neighbourhood to relieve the preassure on St. Mathew's. Its style is inspired by Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Romanseque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church architecture.
History
Consecrated in 1880, St. Mathew'sSt. Matthew's Church, Copenhagen
St. Mathew's Church is the oldest and largest church in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark.-History:The decommissioning of Copenhagen's Bastioned Fortifications was a gradual and prolonged process...
was the first church to be built in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen. By the end of the century the population of the parish had reached 70,000 and the need for new churches had become evident.
The Church of Christ on Enghave Plads was the second church to be built in the neighbourhood. It was the result of an initiative taken by Th. Løgstrup, a pastor based in Fredericia
Fredericia
Fredericia is a town located in Fredericia municipality in the eastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark, in a sub-region known locally as Trekanten, or The Triangle...
in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
. He had heard about the shortage of churches in the rapidly growing capital and conceived the idea that pastors from around the country should donate a church to the city. He began a collection in 1893 and by 1898 adequate funds had been raised for construction to start on a site provided free of charge by the city. The architect Valdemar Koch
Valdemar Koch
Otto Valdemar Koch was a Danish architect and local politician. He designed a number of churches in Copenhagen.-Biography:...
was commissioned to make the design and ground was broken on 29 March 1898.
The new church was inaugurated on 6 May 1900 at a ceremony attended by, among others, King Christian IX
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
and about 100 pastors from around the country. Construction costs amounted to DKK
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
142,000. As a result, the Parish of Christ was disjoined from that of St. Matthew's. The church was refurbished in 1963-64.
Architecture
The church is mainly built to a Neo-RomanesqueRomanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
design with inspiration from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church architecture. Valdemar Koch claimed not to have relied on a specific church for inspiration but its design is quite similar to that of Spoleto Cathedral in Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
north of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The church is oriented along a north-south axis. It is built in yellow brick but the south-facing main facade towards the street is clad in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with ornamental bands in green-glazed tiles
Glazed tile
Glazed tiles were used in China since the Zhou Dynasty as building material for roof top. During the Song Dynasty, the manufacture of glazed tiles was standardized in Li Jie's Architecture Standard...
. In front of the main entrance there is a loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
supported by six columns and a roof clad in copper. Also clad in limestone, the tower stands at the south-west corner of the building. Above the loggia, the facade features a series of round-arched windows, highest in the middle to reflect the shape of the triangular gable.
The gable is topped by a kneeling angel created by Thomas Bærentzen. He also designed the angels on the loggia, the two animal figures in the window group and the relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s at the base of the tower depicting the Four Evangelists' symbols.
A short wall with two arched gates to the right of the church connects it to the neighbouring residential building. The first gate leads to the entrance to the church office along the side of the church while the second affords access to an interior courtyard space which surrounds the church on three sides and has facilities for the adjoining residential buildings. The right "representative" side of the church building is dressed while the left side stands in blank brick.
Interior
The church is a three-nave building. The narrow lateral naves are separated from the central nave by aracdes with columns bearing galleries.Raised three steps from the nave, the choir has a large round-arched, vaulted altar niche in its rear wall with a fresco by Johannes Kragh. The altarpiece depicting the birth of Christ was painted by Axel Helsted
Axel Helsted
Axel Theophilus Helsted was a Danish painter. Son of the painter Frederik Ferdinand Helsted, he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He painted the altarpiece of the Church of Christ in Copenhagen.-Reference:* at the Dansk biografisk Lexikon...
in 1903. The bronze font basin was designed by Lorentz Frølich.