Roskilde Cathedral - Travel in Denmark - Travel & Discover

Roskilde Cathedral is, in many ways, the most important ecclesiastical building in Denmark. Although it contains older Romanesque parts, it was the first building to be built in the Gothic style in the country. The church is built of red brick, which was just beginning to be made in Denmark at the time. Unlike most other Danish churches, the architecture of the cathedral was influenced mainly by the Gothic styles typical of northern France. The combination of the new material, brick, and architectural style, the Gothic, makes the Roskilde Cathedral one of the first instances of the brick Gothic style, which would come to dominate the region. The red brick Gothic cathedral, with its two slender spires soaring skywards, is the very landmark of the ancient medieval Danish city Roskilde, as well as its major attraction. The cathedral is a unique artistic achievement, and is associated with the history of Scandinavia and the Baltic region, over whose architecture would exercise an enormous influence. It is visited by over 125,000 people every year, and in 1995 was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The city of Roskilde is the main settlement on the island of Zealand, not far from Copenhagen. The town was first settled over 1,000 years ago by the Vikings, and in 1020 was made a bishopric. Since the 15th century, the cathedral has been the favorite burial place of the Danish royal family. Today, the growth of the small city of Roskilde, which develops along one main street of small shops and businesses, is regulated in order to preserve the town's original architecture and atmosphere. The buildings that surround the cathedral must remain in harmony with their ancient settings, and thus new construction and paving are strictly controlled by town ordinance. Many of the buildings and the environs of the cathedral are protected as well. The exterior walls of the church stand on a plinth of granite ashes two courses high. As with many early structures, the bricks vary in both size and color. Altogether, the church is composed of some 3 million bricks. The first religious structure on the site was a wooden church built around 980 by King Harald Bluetooth. This was replaced in turn by two travertine structures, built in 1030 and 1080 respectively. In the mid-12th century, brick making was introduced into Denmark by craftsmen from Lombardy, and Bishop Absalon decided around 1170 to rebuild his cathedral using this new material. The original structure was in the Romanesque style, based on contemporary Western European pilgrimage churches. When the eastern half was built, the plan was changed to reflect the growing influence of the Gothic style, which had recently become popular in France. Over the centuries, a number of architecturally significant chapels were added to the royal church building, each of which was decorated with the works of the best artists of the period. The interior walls were originally bare, apart from the vaulting and the soffits of the arches, which were plastered. The whole of the interior was later coated with grayish-yellow, fine-grained stucco. Most of the ornate wall paintings which originally adorned the church's interior have since disappeared. Village churches in Denmark were often decorated with series of thematic frescoes. Around 1860, the cathedral was thoroughly restored, including its original frescoes. Some of the church's original frescoes reappeared from under thick layers of lime, though others could not be saved. Here is a fresco depicting St. Andrew, a radiant Virgin Mary in the Chapel of St. Andrew. Every monarch to be buried in the cathedral prepared for his entombment in a different way. Thus, over the centuries, the cathedral has become home to rich and ornate chapels and porches in different styles, with magnificent gilded sarcophagi, as well as more modest graves marked by simple tombstones and sepulchral tablets. This variety of funereal monuments has made the cathedral into an object lesson of the evolution of Danish architecture from the Middle Ages until the present day. Crypts were installed in several of the old chapels and porches. Some are clothed behind grillwork, while others are covered in brick. Shown here, a suit of armor worn at the funeral of Han, master of the royal hunt. Like any major religious structure that has been in continuous use since it was first built, Roskilde Cathedral has undergone many changes. Earlier chapels were demolished to permit the construction of royal chapels, and periodic fires led to restoration and reconstruction, often accompanied by significant stylistic changes. The chancel was designed to be used as a royal burial place in the days of King Christian V. In 1690, the king ordered the chancel cleared and opened. It was screened off from the rest of the church by a grating, behind which Christian V and Frederick IV were laid to rest, alongside their queens, in magnificent marble sarcophagi featuring portraits of the deceased. The design of the royal sarcophagi is identical, as befitted absolute monarchs, although the reliefs on the sides are different. Queen Margaret was buried in the western corner of the canon's chancel, beneath the high altar. The small figures and architectural decorations were removed in the late 18th century. The current triptych altar pieces were made around 1560. The magnificent illustrations depicting the events of Easter week, Christ's agony, his death, and his childhood were only visible on the occasion of major feasts. Before it was installed in the cathedral, the altarpiece spent a few years in the church of Frederick's Borg Castle. The Chapel of the Magi, also known as the Chapel of King Christian I, was built by the first king of the Oldenburg dynasty in 1481. The entire chapel was designed as a royal sepulchre. The sepulchres are guarded by halberdiers and putti who sit on the ceiling, their torches pointing downwards as symbols of death. The intercession on behalf of the royal family was reinforced by the themes of the frescoes that decorate the chapel. The walls feature saints who interceded on behalf of mortals, while the arches represent the heavenly spear, featuring illustrations of the death of Christ, the last judgment, and angels playing the lute, harp, and horn. The base of the king's column dates from the 12th century. The canons were based in the choir stalls, which formed a u-shape around Margaret's sarcophagus. The long text frieze above the chairs is from 1420 and is dedicated to the trinity and Saint Lucius. The relief above the chairs depicts religious themes, beginning with the creation and ending with the last judgment. The chapel of Christian IX is also called the Glücksburg chapel, since Christian IX, who reigned in the second half of the 19th century, was the first king from the house of Glücksburg, which replaced the Oldenburg dynasty that had ruled for the previous 400 years. The chapel was erected in 1924 and designed by Andreas Clemenson in a style inspired by the Romanesque and Baroque. The Glücksburg chapel contains the graves of the first three Glücksburg kings, namely Christian IX, who died in 1906, Frederick VIII, who died in 1912, and Christian X, who died in 1947. The chapel of Frederick V is one of the most distinguished examples of neoclassicist architecture in Denmark. The architect drew his inspiration from models in The classicist element is reflected especially in the sepulchres. For example, the Roman emperor's column adorned with a portrait medallion and Erne and Frederick V's colossal monument. The twelve sepulchres in the chapel are a prime example of a century of changing styles. The building was originally intended to house five marble sarcophagi, but changing tastes saw other designs gain in popularity. The pulpit was a gift to King Christian IV from 1610. The well-known sculptor Hans Brockmann was the artist responsible for this work of carved sandstone, marble, and alabaster. The cathedral is a stupendous building whose grandeur is justly matched by its fine organ. The oldest pipes in the instrument date from the mid-16th century organ built by Raphaelis. This instrument was substantially rebuilt in 1654 and transformed from a Dutch Renaissance organ into a large representative three-manual Baroque instrument. As a rule, coffins were buried in the ground or interred in brick tombs under the church floor. However, particularly affluent people built burial vaults in which their coffins were laid to rest. Banners were regular fixtures at the funerals of royalty, and afterwards they would be hung close to the grave. Ryskilde Cathedral is the earliest major ecclesiastical building in brick in Northern Europe and had a profound influence on the spread of the brick Gothic style throughout the region. Both in its form and in its setting, it is an outstanding example of a Northern European complex, especially noteworthy for the successive architectural style used in the ancillary chapels and porches added over the centuries.