Frederiksberg Church
Encyclopedia
Frederiksberg Church is the oldest church building in the Frederiksberg
district of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. Completed in 1734, it is built to an unusual octagonal design in Baroque style
. It is situated at Frederiksberg Runddel
in front of the main entrance to Frederiksberg Gardens
, on the corner of Frederiksberg Allé and Pile Allé,
transferred 20 Dutch families from Amager
which became known as Ny Hollænderbyen (English: New Dutch Town). The residents of this community constructed a small wooden church in 1653 across the street from the present Frederiksberg Church, roughly where the Storm P Museum stands today. It was burned down by Swedish
troops in 1658 during the Assault on Copenhagen in the Second Northern War
. After the war, the Dutch community returned to the area but, struck with deep poverty, a new church was not completed until 1681.
After the turn of the century, the area changed dramatically when King Frederick IV
built Frederiksberg Palace
on a nearby hilltop. The Dutch farmers were forced away from the area which became a fashionable summer destination, from 1710 known as Frederiksberg
.
and a piece of land to build it on, and his sister, Princess Sophie Hedevig, donated her entire income from tithe
for the year of 1732.
The architect Felix Dusart was charged with the design of the new church. He had come to Denmark from the Netherlands after the Copenhagen Fire of 1728
to work on the rebuilding of the city and mainly worked for Philip de Lange
.
The church was consecrated on 6 January 1734
by Christian Worm, the Bishop of Zealand
, at a ceremony attended by King Christian VI
and Crown Prince Frederick (V)
.
The old church bells were transferred from the old to the new church but later repaired several times and finally completely replaced, save the smallest bell which has partly been preserved. The rest of the old church was sold in an auction on 23 February for the price of 211 rigsdaler and 84 skilling.
In 1736, through a royal resolution, it was decided that the church was to have its own pastor, and the citizens of the Vesterbro suburb were to belong under it. The first pastor was Johannes Kinast (died 1773).
Up through the 19th and 20th century the church was adapted and modernized om several occasions. In 1824 the current rectory was built and in 1865 the church was expanded westward with the porch
while the two original entrances, one for men and one for women, are blinded.
In 1868 the church was transferred from state to municipal ownership and in 1898 it became an independent institution.
The combined altar and pulpit is executed by the sculptor Johan Christopher Hübner and carpenter Christian Holfeldt.
The altarpiece
from 1841 is painted by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
and depicts the scene from John 17:6-19. According to Dutch reformed tradition it is placed below the pulpit.
There are two memorials in the church, both of which were inaugurated on 16 January 1873. One commemorates soldiers fallen in the Second Schleswig War and the other Adam Oehlenschläger.
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
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 1734, it is built to an unusual octagonal design in Baroque style
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
. It is situated at Frederiksberg Runddel
Frederiksberg Runddel
Frederiksberg Runddel is a square in front of the main entrance to Frederiksberg Gardens, at the end of Frederiksberg Allé, in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark.-History:...
in front of the main entrance to Frederiksberg Gardens
Frederiksberg Park
Frederiksberg Park is one of the largest and most attractive greenspaces in Copenhagen, Denmark. Together with the adjacent Søndermarken it forms a green area of 64 hectares at the western edge of Inner Copenhagen...
, on the corner of Frederiksberg Allé and Pile Allé,
Earlier churches
Frederiksberg was founded when King Christian IIIChristian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
transferred 20 Dutch families from Amager
Amager
Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...
which became known as Ny Hollænderbyen (English: New Dutch Town). The residents of this community constructed a small wooden church in 1653 across the street from the present Frederiksberg Church, roughly where the Storm P Museum stands today. It was burned down by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
troops in 1658 during the Assault on Copenhagen in the Second Northern War
Second Northern War
The Second Northern War was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Brandenburg-Prussia , the Habsburg Monarchy and Denmark–Norway...
. After the war, the Dutch community returned to the area but, struck with deep poverty, a new church was not completed until 1681.
After the turn of the century, the area changed dramatically when King Frederick IV
Frederick IV of Denmark
Frederick IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel .-Foreign affairs:...
built Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace is a Baroque residence, located in Frederiksberg, Denmark, adjacent to the Copenhagen Zoo. It commands an impressive view over Frederiksberg Park, originally designed as a palace garden in the Baroque style...
on a nearby hilltop. The Dutch farmers were forced away from the area which became a fashionable summer destination, from 1710 known as Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
.
The new church
In 1732 it was finally decided to build a new church. The King contributed with 2000 rigsdalerRigsdaler
Rigsdaler is a unit of currency.Rigsdaler may refer to:* Danish rigsdaler* Danish West Indian rigsdaler* Greenlandic rigsdaler* Norwegian rigsdalerSee also* Swedish riksdaler...
and a piece of land to build it on, and his sister, Princess Sophie Hedevig, donated her entire income from tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
for the year of 1732.
The architect Felix Dusart was charged with the design of the new church. He had come to Denmark from the Netherlands after the Copenhagen Fire of 1728
Copenhagen Fire of 1728
The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of October 20, 1728, and continued to burn until the morning of October 23. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city , left 20% of the population homeless, and the reconstruction lasted...
to work on the rebuilding of the city and mainly worked for Philip de Lange
Philip de Lange
Philip de Lange was a leading Dutch-Danish architect who designed many different types of building in various styles including Dutch Baroque and Rococo.-Early life and family:...
.
The church was consecrated on 6 January 1734
1734 in Denmark
-Incumbents:* Monarch – HM Christian VI* Prime minister – Iver Rosenkrantz-See also:...
by Christian Worm, the Bishop of Zealand
Diocese of Zealand
The Diocese of Zealand was a protestant diocese in Denmark which existed from 1537 to 1922. Apart from the island of Zealand, from which it took its name, the diocese covered Møn, Amager and various smaller islands. The island of Bornholm was included in 1560. The Faroe Islands as well as some...
, at a ceremony attended by King Christian VI
Christian VI of Denmark
Christian VI was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.He was the son of King Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He married Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and fathered Frederick V.-The reign and personality of Christian VI:To posterity Christian...
and Crown Prince Frederick (V)
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
.
The old church bells were transferred from the old to the new church but later repaired several times and finally completely replaced, save the smallest bell which has partly been preserved. The rest of the old church was sold in an auction on 23 February for the price of 211 rigsdaler and 84 skilling.
In 1736, through a royal resolution, it was decided that the church was to have its own pastor, and the citizens of the Vesterbro suburb were to belong under it. The first pastor was Johannes Kinast (died 1773).
Up through the 19th and 20th century the church was adapted and modernized om several occasions. In 1824 the current rectory was built and in 1865 the church was expanded westward with the porch
Church porch
A church porch is a room at a church's main entrance.In Scandinavia the porch of a church is often called by names meaning weaponhouse. Visitors stored weapons there because of a prohibition against carrying weapons into the sanctuary, or into houses in general....
while the two original entrances, one for men and one for women, are blinded.
In 1868 the church was transferred from state to municipal ownership and in 1898 it became an independent institution.
Architecture
The church is built in Dutch Baroque style and to an octagonal design. The slate roof is from 1876 and replaced a tile roof.Furnishings
Installed in1754, the church's first organ had 10 steps and was built by Hartvig Jochum Müller. Its first organist was Joachim Conrad Oehlenschläger, father of the poet Adam Oehlenschläger. The current organ, its third, was built in 1947 by Marcussen & Søn in Åbenrå and has 34 steps, 3 manuals and pedal.The combined altar and pulpit is executed by the sculptor Johan Christopher Hübner and carpenter Christian Holfeldt.
The altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
from 1841 is painted by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Duchy of Schleswig , to Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, painter and carpenter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter...
and depicts the scene from John 17:6-19. According to Dutch reformed tradition it is placed below the pulpit.
There are two memorials in the church, both of which were inaugurated on 16 January 1873. One commemorates soldiers fallen in the Second Schleswig War and the other Adam Oehlenschläger.
Churchyard
Today known as Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård (en. Frederiksberg Old Cemetery), the churchyard was established at the same time as the church. It soon became too small and was expanded on a number of occasions to keep pace with the constantly growing population of Frederiksberg.Internents
Among the notables interred at the cemetery are:
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