Godthaab Church is a Church of Denmark parish church situated on

Nyelandsvej Nyelandsvej is a street in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Falkoner Allé in the southeast to a roundabout at the north end of Dalgas Boulevard in the northwest. The more urban, eastern part of the street, between F ...

in the northern part of the Frederiksberg district of

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 ar ...

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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. Godthaab Parish takes its name from Godthaabsvej, the principal artery of the area.

History

Classen Terraces and their church

Godthaab Church traces its history back to 1866 when the charitable foundation

Det Classenske Fideicommis Det Classenske Fideicommis (literally "The Classen Fideicommiss") is a Danish charitable foundation. By testament in 1789 and his codicil of March 23, 1792, the industrialist Major General Johan Frederik Classen left behind his wealth and possessi ...

acquired a 3 hectares piece of land at the site from the Sindshvile estate. This was done to build residences for indigent workers in the city after the

1853 Copenhagen cholera outbreak The 1853 Copenhagen cholera outbreak was a severe outbreak of cholera which occurred in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1853 as part of the third cholera pandemic. It killed about 4,800 people. Background Medical professionals had since the 1840s warned ag ...

had highlighted the dismal living conditions for this part of the population. From 1866 to 1881 the foundation constructed 24 terraces with a total of 378 residences. They were built in yellow brick in two storeys to designs by Vilhelm Tvede. The development also contained a community house, shops, laundry, an orphanage and its own church which was completed in 1880. At that point the development had 1,288 residents, a number which had increased to 1,655 in 1895. The Classen Terraces (Danish: De Classenske Boliger) were initially praised and even received attention abroad but as similar projects were built around the city, such as those of the Workers' Building Society, Det Classenske Fideicommis lost interest in the development. Due to the charitable nature of the foundation, it also showed great indulgence towards failure to pay rent and the development gradually became a place for the very poor and fell into neglect. This was in still stronger contrast to the surrounding community and in 1909 Frederiksberg Municipality bought the entire development to demolish it, although housing shortage and lack of economic restraints meant that the last terraces were not pulled down until the late 1950s.

The new church

In connection with the sale, the foundation reserved a sum of DKK 70,000 for the construction of a new church on a lot donated for the project by H. I Nyeland, a well-to-do farmer. Godthåb Parish was created on 30 September 1909 and comprised the Classen Terraces as well as parts of Mariendal, St. Luke's and St. Thomas' parishes. The parish, like

Godthåbsvej Godthåbsvej is a street in the northwestern part of Copenhagen, Denmark. It begins at Bülowsvej in Frederiksberg as the direct continuation of Rosenørns Allé/Rolighedsvej and passes through Vanløse before reaching Bellahøj in Brønshøj. A me ...

, was named after Store Godthaab, an estate which the entire area had once belonged to. Classen Church was used as a temporary parish church until the new church was ready. Another DKK 55,000 was raised for the construction by a local church commission and Gotfred Tvede, the son of Vilhelm Tvede, was charged with the design of the new church building. The foundation stone was set on 3 October by provost and later Bishop of Zealand, Ostenfeld. The church was inaugurated on 19 March 1911.

Architecture

The church is built in red brick on a granite plinth. It is oriented north-south to fit the location at

. It has a choir to the south and a tower with a copper-clad, octagonal belfry on the east side of the north gable. The interior has white-washed walls and a barrel-vaulted ceiling with exposed timber structure. A series of round-arched windows on the west side provides natural light and the choir, raised three steps from the nave, is top lit. There is a gallery above the entrance in the north wall.

Furnishings

The ceramic altartable is the work of Herman Kahler. The interior of the apse features a relief by the sculptor Carl Mortensen depicting Christ on the Cross, surrounded by worshipping angles.

References

External links

Official website
{{Copenhagen churches 20th-century Church of Denmark churches Buildings and structures in Frederiksberg Municipality Churches completed in 1911 Churches in the Diocese of Copenhagen Lutheran churches in Copenhagen