The Bethania Mission House, Esbjerg is located in the centre of

Esberg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)< ...

, southwest Denmark. Inspired by Italian architecture, its main gable has a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

flanked by spires.

Background

As in the rest of western

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

, Denmark's Inner Mission founded in 1861 received strong support. The movement was influential in temperance work, collective initiatives in rural communities, and efforts to reinforce the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

tradition. Many poor people found in the movement a community where they could be on equal terms with more wealthy members of society, as it stressed the creation of Christian fellowship through a variety of group activities. The organisation's mission houses were used for Bible study groups, meetings and other activities for children, families, adults and the elderly.

Architecture

Designed by Christian Hjerrild Clausen (1866-1941) in the Neo-Gothic style and completed in 1906, it was inspired by Italian religious architecture. Clausen wished to give the building added importance by employing a style normally used for churches. The main gable features a rosette window flanked by two spires. Materials used include brick and sandstone. The building was originally designed to house an auditorium, a library and a chapel. Since 1989, it has been a listed building.

References

{{Coord, 55, 28, 02, N, 8, 26, 58, E, type:landmark_region:DE-HB, display=title 1906 establishments in Denmark Buildings and structures in Esbjerg Gothic Revival architecture in Denmark Houses in Denmark Religious buildings and structures completed in 1906