Holmen Church
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| Holmen Church | |
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| Location | Copenhagen,Denmark |
| Denomination | Church of Denmark |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Leonhard Blasius Christian IV(the spire) |
| Style | Renaissance |
| Completed | 1563 (forge) 1619 (church) |
| Administration | |
| District | City centre |
TheHolmen Church(Danish:Holmens Kirke) is aParish churchin centralCopenhageninDenmark,on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as ananchor forgein 1563, it was converted into a naval church byChristian IV.It is famous for having hostedthe weddingbetweenMargrethe II of Denmark,queen of Denmark between 1972 and 2024, andPrince Henrikin 1967. It is the burial site of such notabilities as naval heroesNiels JuelandPeter Tordenskjold,and composerNiels Wilhelm Gade,[1]and contains artwork by, among others,Bertel ThorvaldsenandKarel van Mander.
The church building
[edit]The appearance of the Holmen Church today closely resembles that of the renovation in 1872, except for the colour. The windows are in clear glass and predominantly set in iron. The spire is dressed incopperjust like small spire on theconfessional's roof. The church is of Lutheran denomination.
Interior
[edit]The church'spipe organwas originally made by Lambert Daniel Kastens and installed in 1738, and the façade remains in place today. The actual organ, however, is from 1956.
The currentpulpitwas installed in 1662 and was carved byAbel Schrøderand stands in the natural colour of itsoak,except for the king and queen'smonogramsand crowns which are gilded. It is the oldest preserved pulpit in Copenhagen, and the most richly decorated. It stands from floor to ceiling, and depictsChristian historyfromMosesholding the basket up toJesus Christ.
The oldestbaptismal fontin the church is inwrought ironand stands 117 centimetres (46 in) tall. A whitemarblefont was installed in 1756, created by Carl Frederik Stanley inclassicist style,but is no longer in the church. The new baptismal font from 1872 was made by the sculptor Evens by Ludvig Fenger's design, in black marble andsandstone.
A model ofNiels Juel's shipChristianus Quintushangs from the ceiling in the church.
Gallery
[edit]-
Exterior -
Organ -
Pulpit -
Compass roseand baptismal font -
Over the altar
History
[edit]InmedievalCopenhagen, Holmen (or Bremerholm) was an actual island. However, in the 16th century, city restructuring made it less of an island and more of a peninsula surrounded by Holmens Canal. On this peninsula,Christian III of Denmarkfounded a shipyard which became synonymous with the nameHolmen.
When the shipyard moved to Nyholm onChristianshavn,the nameHolmenfollowed, and Bremerholm then became Gammelholm (old island), a name which is rarely used today. Holmens Canal was filled in the 1860s, but the name lives on as a street.
The anchor forge
[edit]In 1562–63,Frederick II of Denmarkbuilt an anchor forge for Holmen, which was placed on the other side of the canal. The building was atypically shaped, as special consideration was given not to spoil the view from the king's castle,Christiansborg.The actual forge was hidden behind a taller building, calledthe tower,which was given a handsome front in Italian style facing the castle, and which was erected by Peter de Dunckers.
The first church
[edit]In 1617,Christian IV of Denmarkhas built houses for the navy's personnel between the Church of Saint Nikolaj and Holmen. This created an influx in population which made it necessary to build a larger church, which the king had set up in the former anchor forge.
At first, the reconstruction into a church caused no redesign of the building's blueprints. The church was consecrated on September 5, 1619, but craftsmen were still working on the church during 1620.
The building had certain similarities to a village church, with the higher tower as a bell tower in one end, but the tower was not an actual part of the church, and the bells were situated in the opposite end of the building.
Not much is known about the decoration of the first church.
The cruciform church
[edit]The church quickly became too small, and already in 1641, it was decided to expand it into acruciform church.The tower was incorporated into the church, and the remainder of the church was brought to the same height. The two new arms are slightly shorter than the two old ones. Leonhard Blasius was the builder of the church, but indications are that the king decided on the layout of the church, modeled after theGlücksburg Castlechurch.
The walls are tile on a high foundation ofgraniteblocks. The new arms were built in yellow bricks which are smaller than the stone used in the tower. In order for the building to have a uniform look, the walls were painted in yellow and red vertical stripes on which white lines were painted in order to resemble a brick wall.
The spire was built in two stories with the bells in the bottom half. This spire has caused significant problems over the years, as the wooden construction of the roof was not strong enough to carry the weight. The construction was reinforced in 1698 and in 1793, but not until 1930 was the collapse halted by the introduction of an iron construction. It is estimated that the spire sits 60 cm (two feet) lower than when it was first built.
Later changes
[edit]
The major Copenhagen fires of1728and1795did not affect the Holmen Church, and the bombardments in1659and1807only caused minor damage to the church, and thus the fundamental shape of the church today is the same as when it was first constructed. However, acannonballis visible in theplinthon the northern side of thechoir,supposedly from theSwedishassault in 1658.
In 1697 achapelwas built forNiels Juelin the church, designed by Ernst Brandenburger. This building was later removed after the construction of Niels Juel'smausoleum.
WhenRoskilde Cathedralwas renovated,Christian IV of Denmark's portal from 1635 was transferred to the eastern gable of the Holmen Church.
The sculpting andstuccowere repaired early in the 20th century, as had become necessary due to the sinking of spire construction. In preparation for the wedding betweenHereditary Princess MargretheandPrince Henrikin 1967, which took place in the church, the church underwent major restoration. This included changing the wooden floor to stone.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^"Epitaphs".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-05-24.Retrieved2008-02-23.
Literature
[edit]- Danmarks Kirker(English:Churches of Denmark),Copenhagen,vol. 2: Holmens Kirke. pp. 3–222 (vols 8–9), Nationalmuseet 1960–1965(in Danish)
- København før og nu – og aldrig. Gammelholm og Frederiksholm,Volume 2, Steffen Lindval, Ed. Bo Bramsen og Palle Fogtdal, Forlaget Palle Fogtdal, 1987, 1996.(in Danish)
- Ankerkæden – Kirkeblad for Holmens Kirke,83. Year 4, December, January, February 2006–07. Page 11.(in Danish)
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- orlogsmuseet.dk
- kirkeskibet.dkArchived2020-08-15 at theWayback Machine
55°40′36″N12°35′01″E/ 55.6766°N 12.5836°E
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