Trinity Church ( da, Treenighedskirken) is a modern church in
Esbjerg in the southwest of
Jutland, Denmark. Designed by local architects Erik Flagstad Rasmussen and Knud Thomsen, the yellow-brick building with large triangular
stained-glass windows was completed in 1961.
Background
Esbjerg is a city with several new churches, most of which were established after the
Second World War when there was a marked increase in the population. Designed to accommodate a large congregation while offering additional facilities for both young and old, Trinity Church was the first of many. Breaking with tradition, its square-shaped nave was built directly adjacent to lower ancillary buildings including a hall with a stage, meeting rooms and a kitchen. The bell tower stands alone, quite separate from the church.
Architecture
In the late 1950s, Erik Flagstad Rasmussen and Knud Thomsen won the competition which had been specifically directed to attract responses from the city's architects. The church itself is a square-shaped building of yellow brick crowned with a low octagonal spire. There are four triangular gables of glass and concrete, all with pointed tops. Completed in 1967, the stained-glass gable windows were designed by
Jens Urup Jensen with themes representing Christmas (north) with a red
Star of Bethlehem, Easter (east, above the altar) with a cross,
Whitsun (south) with 12 red tongues symbolising the
Apostles
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
and a blue-toned
Water of Life frame (west) above the organ gallery. The colouring of the north and south windows is rather cool while the designs to the east and west are much warmer.
[
In 1993, an apse was added. In 1999, the church was seriously damaged by a hurricane which dislodged sections of the copper roof. They were used to make a cross, designed by Erik Heide which stands outside next to the south wall.]
Interior
The walls inside are of plain brick, the flooring of Øland tiles. A simple oak cross hangs above the altar. The 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 ...
is also of oak while 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 ...
is built of concrete with Christ's monogram.[
]
Male choir
'' Treenighedskirkens Drengekor'' (Trinity Church's Boys Choir) was founded by organist Per Günther in 1964 who led the choir until he retired 1989. Thereafter, it has been supported by Esbjerg Municipality and the Esbjerg's Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts
The Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava ( sk, Vysoká škola múzických umení v Bratislave, abbr. VŠMU) is a university founded on June 9, 1949.
The university consists of three faculties:
*''Theatre Faculty'' (Acting, Directing, Dramatu ...
in collaboration with the church. Today it consists of 50 singers, boys starting at the age of 8 or 9. They give performances of classical church music both at home and abroad. Venues have included St Peters, Rome
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 en ...
, Notre Dame de Paris and Westminster Abbey. Their concerts have also been widely broadcast on radio and television, not only in Denmark but in Europe and North America. The choir has also made numerous recordings.
References
Literature
*
External links
Treenighedskirken website
{{Coord, 55, 28, 40, N, 8, 26, 32, E, type:landmark_region:DE-HB, display=title
Buildings and structures in Esbjerg
Churches in the Region of Southern Denmark
Churches completed in 1961
20th-century Church of Denmark churches
Churches in the diocese of Ribe