Roskilde Domkirke
There's no church in Copenhagen, or anywhere else in Denmark for that matter, to rival this towering edifice. This cathedral made Roskilde the spiritual capital of Denmark and northern Europe. Today it rises out of a modest townscape like a mirage -- a cathedral several times too big for the town surrounding it. Construction started in 1170, when Absalon was bishop of Roskilde. Work continued into the 13th century, and the building's original Romanesque features gave way to an early Gothic facade. The twin towers weren't built until the 14th century.
Today the cathedral's beauty goes beyond a single architectural style, providing almost a crash course in Danish architecture. Although damaged by a fire in 1968, the cathedral has been restored, including its magnificent altarpiece.
The Domkirke is the final abode of 38 Danish monarchs whose tombs are here, ranging from the modest to the eccentric. Not surprisingly, Christian IV, the builder king who was instrumental in the construction of nearly all of Copenhagen's famous towers and castles, is interred in a grandiose chapel here with a massive sculpture of himself in combat, a bronze likeness by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. In humble contrast is a newer addition, from 1972, of the simple brick chapel of King Frederik IX, which stands outside the church. This chapel is octagonal in shape and decorated with hand-painted tiles designed by the architects Johannes and Inger Exner and Vilhelm Wohlert. Other notable tombs include the white marble sarcophagus of Queen Margrethe I.
In King Christian I's Chapel, which dates from the 15th century, there is a column marked with the heights of several kings. The tallest monarch was Christian I, at 2.1m (6 ft. 9 in.). This, no doubt, was an exaggeration, as his skeleton measures only 1.9m (6 ft. 2 in.). A large, bright cupola graces the late-18th- and early-19th-century chapel of King Frederik V. Note also the Gothic choir stalls, each richly and intricately carved with details from both the Old and New Testaments.
The gilded winged altar in the choir was made in Antwerp in the 1500s and was originally intended for Frederiksborg Castle. Pictures on the wings of the altar depict scenes from the life of Jesus, ranging from the Nativity to the Crucifixion. Following the fire, the renowned artist Anna Thommesen created a new altar cloth.
For us, the most charming aspect of the cathedral is its early-16th-century clock poised on the interior south wall above the entrance. A tiny St. George on horseback marks the hour by charging a dragon. The beast howls, echoing through the cavernous church, causing Peter Doever, "the Deafener," to sound the hour. A terrified Kirsten Kiemer, "the Chimer," shakes in fright but pulls herself together to strike the quarters.
Insider's tip: Free concerts on the cathedral's pipe organ, which dates from the 1500s, are often presented at 8pm on Thursdays in summer. They are featured less frequently throughout the rest of the year. Check with the tourist office.
Czarina's Remains Returned to Russia -- A historical footnote occurred in Denmark at the Roskilde Cathedral in 2006. In a bizarre episode, the remains of Czarina Maria Feodorovna, the mother of Russia's last emperor, made her final journey from Roskilde to St. Petersburg. Her saga began at birth, in 1847, when she was born Princess Dagmar, the daughter of Denmark's King Christian IX and Queen Louise. She was later to marry Alexander and convert to the Russian Orthodox faith. She had six children, one of whom was Nicholas II, who became czar in 1894 and was executed a year after the Bolshevik Revolution. Fleeing from the Imperial capital, Maria Feodorovna made it to the Crimean Peninsula, where a British navy ship took her to London. She continued to Copenhagen, where she lived until her death in 1928. Buried at Roskilde, she rested along with other Danish royalty. In September of 2006 she was transferred to St. Petersburg, where she was reburied with relatives in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Until the day she died, she refused to believe that her husband and children had been executed in 1918, 16 months after Czar Nicholas had abdicated the throne. "She is reunited with her beloved family once again," said Dimitry Romanoc, an 80-year-old retired bank clerk and distant relative.
There's no church in Copenhagen, or anywhere else in Denmark for that matter, to rival this towering edifice. This cathedral made Roskilde the spiritual capital of Denmark and northern Europe. Today it rises out of a modest townscape like a mirage -- a cathedral several times too big for the town surrounding it. Construction started in 1170, when Absalon was bishop of Roskilde. Work continued into the 13th century, and the building's original Romanesque features gave way to an early Gothic facade. The twin towers weren't built until the 14th century.
Today the cathedral's beauty goes beyond a single architectural style, providing almost a crash course in Danish architecture. Although damaged by a fire in 1968, the cathedral has been restored, including its magnificent altarpiece.
The Domkirke is the final abode of 38 Danish monarchs whose tombs are here, ranging from the modest to the eccentric. Not surprisingly, Christian IV, the builder king who was instrumental in the construction of nearly all of Copenhagen's famous towers and castles, is interred in a grandiose chapel here with a massive sculpture of himself in combat, a bronze likeness by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. In humble contrast is a newer addition, from 1972, of the simple brick chapel of King Frederik IX, which stands outside the church. This chapel is octagonal in shape and decorated with hand-painted tiles designed by the architects Johannes and Inger Exner and Vilhelm Wohlert. Other notable tombs include the white marble sarcophagus of Queen Margrethe I.
In King Christian I's Chapel, which dates from the 15th century, there is a column marked with the heights of several kings. The tallest monarch was Christian I, at 2.1m (6 ft. 9 in.). This, no doubt, was an exaggeration, as his skeleton measures only 1.9m (6 ft. 2 in.). A large, bright cupola graces the late-18th- and early-19th-century chapel of King Frederik V. Note also the Gothic choir stalls, each richly and intricately carved with details from both the Old and New Testaments.
The gilded winged altar in the choir was made in Antwerp in the 1500s and was originally intended for Frederiksborg Castle. Pictures on the wings of the altar depict scenes from the life of Jesus, ranging from the Nativity to the Crucifixion. Following the fire, the renowned artist Anna Thommesen created a new altar cloth.
For us, the most charming aspect of the cathedral is its early-16th-century clock poised on the interior south wall above the entrance. A tiny St. George on horseback marks the hour by charging a dragon. The beast howls, echoing through the cavernous church, causing Peter Doever, "the Deafener," to sound the hour. A terrified Kirsten Kiemer, "the Chimer," shakes in fright but pulls herself together to strike the quarters.
Insider's tip: Free concerts on the cathedral's pipe organ, which dates from the 1500s, are often presented at 8pm on Thursdays in summer. They are featured less frequently throughout the rest of the year. Check with the tourist office.
Czarina's Remains Returned to Russia -- A historical footnote occurred in Denmark at the Roskilde Cathedral in 2006. In a bizarre episode, the remains of Czarina Maria Feodorovna, the mother of Russia's last emperor, made her final journey from Roskilde to St. Petersburg. Her saga began at birth, in 1847, when she was born Princess Dagmar, the daughter of Denmark's King Christian IX and Queen Louise. She was later to marry Alexander and convert to the Russian Orthodox faith. She had six children, one of whom was Nicholas II, who became czar in 1894 and was executed a year after the Bolshevik Revolution. Fleeing from the Imperial capital, Maria Feodorovna made it to the Crimean Peninsula, where a British navy ship took her to London. She continued to Copenhagen, where she lived until her death in 1928. Buried at Roskilde, she rested along with other Danish royalty. In September of 2006 she was transferred to St. Petersburg, where she was reburied with relatives in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Until the day she died, she refused to believe that her husband and children had been executed in 1918, 16 months after Czar Nicholas had abdicated the throne. "She is reunited with her beloved family once again," said Dimitry Romanoc, an 80-year-old retired bank clerk and distant relative.
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