Vor Frue Kirke

Voru Frū Kiruke is the cathedral of Copenhagen, and a church has stood on this high ground in the city since 1209. The present building was designed in a neoclassical style by C. F. Hansen, the leading architect of the time; the foundation stone was laid by King Frederik VI in 1817, and the church was consecrated in 1829.

The first church was built of limestone and consecrated by Peder Sunesøn, successor of Bishop Absalon, but burned down in 1314 and was rebuilt in brick. It met the flames once more in the great fire of 1728, and in 1807, during the bombardment of Copenhagen by the British navy, the spire used as an aiming point was hit and its collapse turned the whole building into a sea of fire. The church was also deeply tied to royalty and scholarship: the cathedral school provided rooms for the University of Copenhagen, founded in 1479, and in 1449 King Christian I and Queen Dorothea were crowned and married here. After the Reformation, the services of this church became a model for Lutheran practice throughout Denmark.

When you step inside, a calm white space unfolds, with no stained glass. Above the altar stands the Christ statue by the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, and the gilded wall behind it draws the gaze; along the nave line twelve apostles, each with their traditional symbol in hand, such as Peter with the keys and Paul with the sword. The baptismal angel at the font was Thorvaldsen's personal gift to this church. The tower, about 60 m tall, holds four bells; the largest, Stormklokken at 4 tons, is Denmark's largest bell, while the oldest, cast in 1490, is the country's oldest bell and is also used at morning services. The funerals of Kierkegaard, Thorvaldsen himself, and Hans Christian Andersen were also held in this church. Even today it remains a working church where services, weddings, funerals, concerts, and something called Night Church are held.