Frederik's Church ( da, Frederiks Kirke), popularly known as The Marble Church () for its

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

architecture, is an

Evangelical 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 ...

church in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The church forms the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district; it is located due west of

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors arou ...

History and description

The church was designed by the architect

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754) was a Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. He design ...

in 1740 and was along with the rest of Frederiksstaden, a district of Copenhagen, intended to commemorate the 300 years jubilee of the first

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

of a member of the

House of Oldenburg The House of Oldenburg is a German dynasty with links to Denmark since the 15th century. It has branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Schleswig, Holstein, and Oldenburg. The cu ...

.Marble Church Copenhagen
- Copenhagen Tourist - Copenhagenet.dk. Retrieved 27 May 2012 Frederick's Church has the largest church

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

with a span of 31m. The dome rests on 12 columns. The inspiration was probably

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

in Rome. The foundation stone was set by king

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: * Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) *Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble *Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick III ...

on October 31, 1749, but the construction was slowed by budget cuts and the death of Eigtved in 1754. In 1770, the original plans for the church were abandoned by

Johann Friedrich Struensee Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish governmen ...

. The church was left incomplete and, in spite of several initiatives to complete it, stood as a ruin for nearly 150 years. In 1874,

Andreas Frederik Krieger Andreas Frederik Krieger (4 October 1817, Arendal, Kolbjørnsvik – 27 September 1893) was a Denmark, Danish politician, government minister, professor of law and supreme court judge. He was a member of the Danish Constituent Assembly, Nati ...

, Denmark's Finance Minister at the time, sold the ruins of the uncompleted church and the church square to

Carl Frederik Tietgen Carl Frederik Tietgen (19 March 1829 – 19 October 1901) was a Danish financier and industrialist. He played an important role in the industrialisation of Denmark as the founder of numerous prominent Danish companies, many of which are still ...

for 100,000 Rigsdaler — none of which was to be paid in cash — on the condition that Tietgen would build a church in a style similar to the original plans and donate it to the state when complete, while in turn he acquired the rights to subdivide neighboring plots for development. The deal was at the time highly controversial. On 25 January 1877, a case was brought by the Folketing at the Court of Impeachment ( da, Rigsretten), Krieger being charged with corruption over this deal. He was, however, eventually acquitted. Tietgen got

Ferdinand Meldahl Ferdinand Meldahl (16 March 1827 – 3 February 1908) was a Danish architect best known for the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle after the fire in 1859. Meldahl was one of the leading proponents of historicism in Denmark. Biography He was ...

to design the church in its final form and financed its construction. Due to financial restrictions, the original plans for the church to be built almost entirely from marble were discarded, and instead Meldahl opted for construction to be done with limestone. The church was finally opened to the public on August 19, 1894. Inscribed in gold lettering on the entablature of the front portico are the words: HERRENS ORD BLIVER EVINDELIG (Danish: ''"the word of the Lord endureth for ever."'' – 1 Peter 1:25,

KJV The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

). A series of statues of prominent theologians and ecclesiastical figures, including one of the eminent Danish philosopher Kierkegaard (who, incidentally, had become very critical of the

established church A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...

by the end of his life), encircles the grounds of the building.

Architecture and notable features

Jardin elevation.jpg, Jardin's original plan for the church Jardin section.jpg, Cross-section of Jardin's church Frederikskirkens ruin ca 1875 by Budtz Müller.jpg, Ruins of the unfinished entrance ca. 1875 Frederiks Kirke comparison.png, Comparison between Jardin's (black) and Meldahl's (white) "Frederik's Church" File:Marmorkirken 2007 a.jpg, Front entrance File:Marmorkirken detalj.jpg, Exterior detail File:Marmorkirken Copenhagen lantern.jpg, Dome lantern File:Frederiks Kirke Interior.JPG, Interior File:Marmorkirken - dome interior.jpg, Dome interior File:Glassmaleri Marmorkirken.jpg, Stained glass window depicting an angel File:Marmorkirken interior - Copenhagen - DSC07829.JPG, The organ loft File:Marmorkirken - altar.jpg, Altar File:Marmorkirken - Hochaltar 4.jpg, Angel pointing at

Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and i ...

above the altar File:Stenhuggervasen.jpg, A memorial for the stone masons who were killed while building the church.

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 55, 41, 6, N, 12, 35, 22, E, type:landmark_region:DK-101, display=title Lutheran churches in Copenhagen 19th-century Church of Denmark churches Church buildings with domes Rococo architecture in Denmark 18th-century Lutheran churches Tourist attractions in Copenhagen Zinc sculptures in Denmark Churches in the Diocese of Copenhagen 18th-century churches in Denmark