Christiansø Church is a church on the Danish island of

Christiansø Ertholmene (formerly spelled ''Ærtholmene)'' is a small archipelago in Denmark. The largest island is Christiansø, and its name often refers to the entire archipelago. Ertholmene is situated northeast of Gudhjem, Bornholm, and contains De ...

, some to the north-east of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

. It was initially the church for the garrison stationed in the island's fortifications.

History

The church was first consecrated in 1685 when the island's fortifications were completed. Serving the garrison, it was in a small ground-floor room in the fortification tower, where it was used until 1821. It was then moved some to the east to its present location on an irregular quadrangular plot surrounded by

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

walls. The small rectangular granite building was rebuilt and enlarged in 1852, with a porch added on the western side. Comprehensive restoration work was undertaken in 1928 under architect Christian Olrik. The main entrance was widened, and a gallery was added inside. The four straight-sided windows on either side of the nave were slightly reduced in size and given a rounded finish. The ceiling consists of a plastered, wooden barrel vault.Otto Norn, C. G. Schultz, Erik Skov, "Christiansø Kirke"
Bornholms Nørre Herred, Danmarks Kirker, Bornholm, Nationalmuseet, Gad, 1954, pp. 576–583. In the south-west corner of the churchyard there is a free-standing bell tower with two bells. Typical of the Bornholm style, it consists of a fieldstone base and a half-timbered belfry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christianso Church Churches in Bornholm Churches completed in 1821

History

See also

References