Roholte Church ( da, Roholte Kirke) is a church located in the village of

Roholte Roholte is a village and parish in Faxe Municipality, Region Zealand, Denmark. By road it is located south of Faxe, and southwest of Copenhagen. Of note is Roholte Church, the parish church, which was built in 1441, and the Morten Roholte sports ...

, between

Faxe Faxe or Fakse is a town on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. It is located in Faxe Municipality in Region Zealand. The town is most known for the Faxe Brewery, Royal Unibrew, a relatively large brewery producing a range of beer and soft ...

and

Præstø Præstø () is a town with a population of 3,857 (1 January 2022) in Vordingborg Municipality in Region Sjælland on the east coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland''). The islands of '' Maderne'', ''Storeholm'', and ''Lilleholm'' are part ...

in Roholte Parish,

Faxe Municipality Faxe municipality is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Denmark in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand. The municipality covers an area of 406 km² and has a population of 35,418 (2008). Its mayor as of January 2018 is Ole Vive. H ...

Region Zealand Region Zealand ( da, Region Sjælland) is the southernmost administrative region of Denmark, established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regi ...

, Denmark. From 1441 to 1677, the church belonged to the king. In 1737, it became the property of

Otto Thott Otto Thott (13 October 1703 – 10 September 1785) was a Danish Count, minister of state, and land owner. During his lifetime, he acquired Gavnø Castle and one of the largest private collections of book and manuscripts in Denmark. Ear ...

. It remained in the Thott family until 1953. The original architecture is in the Late Gothic style, with additions in 1500 and renovations in 1884. The interior is a mix of Gothic and High Renaissance styles. The crucifix once had an inscription, now lost, that was among the oldest of its kind.

History

On a beam below the church's crucifix, there is an inscription: "Templum hoc fundatum est tempore Christophori regis Daniæ Anno 1441" (This church was founded in King Christopher of Denmark's time in the year 1441). Another reference to the church's origin can be found in a letter from Oluf Mortensen, Bishop of Roskilde, in 1467, which refers to the parish church of "Roolthe" which some years ago was built anew ("de novo erecta fuerit et constructa ... nonnullis annis elapsis") and dedicated to

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

. In a deed of gift from

Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

dated 19 December 1677, Mette Sophie Urne until Lindersvold was granted ownership of the church in accordance with

jus patronatus The right of patronage (in Latin ''jus patronatus'' or ''ius patronatus'') in Roman Catholic canon law is a set of rights and obligations of someone, known as the patron in connection with a gift of land (benefice). It is a grant made by the chu ...

.Martin Poulsen, "Roholte Kirke"
from "Roholte Kirke og Sogn 1441–1941 – Festskrift ved Kirkens 500 Aars Jubilæum". Retrieved 3 May 2013.Chr. Axel Jensen and Victor Hermansen, "Præsto Amt, Danmarks Kirker", Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen, 1933, pages 549–558.

(1703–1785) purchased Gavnø in 1737. As a result, the church remained in the hands of the Thott family for some 200 years. Major restoration work was carried out in 1883–1884 under Kjeld Thor Tage Otto Reedtz-Thott.

Architecture

Situated on undulating ground with a view to the south, the original Late Gothic building from 1441 consisted of a nave, narrowing somewhat towards the west, and a chancel with a three-sided east wall. Red brick interspersed with blocks of chalk was used to achieve a decorative belted effect on the walls. The tower, which is slightly more recent than the nave, was probably built around 1500. It has stepped gables with narrow blank windows and is decorated with belts of brick and chalk. The western windows have rounded arches. The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, now used as a funeral chapel, was added around 1500 and has a tall stepped gable with five stages. The east wall of the chancel was completely rebuilt during restoration work completed in 1884. The walls of the nave were also heightened at that time, and the porch was reconstructed.

Interior

The church has a vaulted ceiling with star-shaped segments. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

from 1592 is in the High Renaissance style as is the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

, dated to 1599. The Late Gothic crucifix, originally on the chancel arch and now on the north wall, was added around 1460. The figure of Christ, about 130 cm high, has a crown of small thorns. The head is turned sharply to the right and the eyes are closed. A priest's account in 1755 documents the existence of a former inscription, based upon

Lamentations The Book of Lamentations ( he, אֵיכָה, , from its incipit meaning "how") is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In the Hebrew Bible it appears in the Ketuvim ("Writings") as one of the Five Megillot ...

1:12, which read: "O vos, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus. Completus est opus istud An: 1555" (''Oh, you who pass this way, look carefully and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow. This work was completed in the year 1555''). Roholte Church is one of four churches known to have contained a crucifix inscribed with a version of this passage from Lamentations; Roholte's is considered to be the oldest of the four. The Gothic

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...

, dated to around 1450, is of Gotland limestone and is decorated with shallow reliefs of angels and the apostles. The baptismal bowl, dated to around 1550, is from the south of Germany. It is decorated with a deer surrounded by lilies.

Parish

Rohalte Parish is in the Faxe Municipality which has a population of 810, of whom 675 belong to the Church of Denmark. The recipient of the 1917

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

(awarded for his poetry),

Karl Adolph Gjellerup Karl Adolph Gjellerup (2 June 1857 – 11 October 1919) was a Danish poet and novelist who together with his compatriot Henrik Pontoppidan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1917. He is associated with the Modern Breakthrough period of Scandin ...

(1857–1919), was born in the Roholte vicarage.

Vhurchyard

Burials in the graveyard include: * Mime Føns (19111994), actress * Curt von Lüttichau (18871991)), architect and painter * Poul Petersen, actor and theatre director

References

{{Reflist

External links

Roholte Kirke in pictures
Churches in Faxe Municipality 15th-century churches in Denmark Churches in the Diocese of Roskilde Gothic architecture in Denmark 1441 establishments in Europe Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism