The Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke)

The last time was in 1807, when the English fleet bombarded Copenhagen aiming at the spire of the church, which rose above everything else and was the pride of the city. The spire burst into flames and lit up the centre of Copenhagen like a giant torch. The architect C.F. Hansen was given the task of designing a new main church for Copenhagen to be built on the ruins of its predecessor.

No time for luxuries
It was a dark period marred by the defeat to England, the national bankruptcy and Denmark's surrender of Norway to the Swedish king. It was not the time for luxuries. C.F. Hansen's quiet style and pure lines matched the mood. He created a temple-like building which did not resemble other churches at the time. From the outside, the church was built in the neoclassicist style, inspired by ancient Greece. This is obvious from the large Greek Doric colonnade that greets you from the street.

The compact tower was also remarkably different from the ostentatious spires seen in the rest of the city. In fact, C.F. Hansen would rather have avoided spires and towers altogether - the ancient temples did not have them. But King Frederik VI believed a tower could not be avoided. The tower was meant to inspire devoutness in the citizens!

In order to underline the classical look, Bertel Thorvaldsen, the great Danish sculptor of the period (see the Canon of the Arts) who lived in Rome, was asked to decorate the church with sculptures.

Forerunner of modernism
C.F. Hansen succeeded in creating a church room that radiates peace and harmony with its pure lines. With the subdued use of decoration and detail, the Church of Our Lady represents the beginnings of modern architecture in Denmark. Unlike the pompous and gold-adorned churches of earlier times, the simple and informal expression in the Church of Our Lady points towards our era.

Jeppe Villadsen is a freelance journalist and editor of the magazine KBH.