Greyfriars Cemetery ( da, Gråbrødre Kirkegård) is located close to the

Railway Station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

in central

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

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 ...

. It has a park-like setting. The cemetery's history as a burial site can be traced back to the middle of the 13th century. The current Greyfriars Chapel dates from the middle of the 19th century and was listed in 2010 together with the wall and entrance gate.

History

The

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friars came to Roskilde in 1237. In 1279, they inaugurated their chapel at the site where Greyfriars Chapel stands today. The friary was demolished after the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, leaving only the chapel which was used as a parish church for the southern part of Roskilde. In 1625, it was partly demolished while the remainder was used as a burial chapel. The cemetery was originally mainly used by the poor while more wealthy citizens were buried inside the cathedral or in the graveyard which surrounded it. In 1805, burials inside churches were prohibited by law and not much later the graveyard surrounding the cathedral also disappeared, leaving Greyfriars as Roskilde's principal burial site. In 1823, the cemetery was redesigned in the Romantic style.

Buildings

The wall and entrance gate to the cemetery were built in 1853. The gate was designed by Henning Wolf, the wall by

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 ...

. They collaborated on the design of Greyfriars Chapel which was completed in 1857 with inspiration from Venetian architecture. The chapel is an early example of the Historicist style which would dominate

Danish architecture Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

for the rest of the century. It is also notable for its decorative brickwork.

Description

The cemetery has many fine trees. They include Weyse's Beech, a

Weeping Beech The weeping beech, ''Fagus sylvatica'' 'Pendula', is a cultivar of the deciduous European beech. The original tree was found in the grounds of an English park, and it has been propagated by grafting, then many distributed widely. Physical descri ...

located next to the entrance on Store Gråbrødrestræde, a ''

maidenhair tree ''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils ...

'' at the inspector's house and the more than 130-year-old lime tree avenue which links the Hestetorvet entrance to the chapel. The only entrance to the cemetery is through the gate from Store Gråbrødrestræde.

Interments

Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse Christoph(er) Ernst Friedrich Weyse (5 March 1774 – 8 October 1842) was a Danish composer during the Danish Golden Age. Biography Weyse was born at Altona in Holstein, which was in a personal union with Denmark. He gained much interes ...

(1774–1842), composer *

Gustav Wied Gustav Johannes Wied (6 March 1858 – 24 October 1914) was a Danish writer. He was generally known as a satire, satirical critic of society in his time and he deliberately used his writing talents to expose the establishment, bourgeoisie an ...

(1858-1914), author

References

External links

Official website

Listing
{{Roskilde Roskilde Cemeteries in Denmark