Leonhard Blasius (also spelled Lennart, Leinert, Lineest) (died 8 December 1644) was a

Danish 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 ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

in the service of King

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

Biography

Blasius, who was certainly a Dutchman, probably arrived in

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 ...

from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

where he first worked in

Glückstadt Glückstadt (; da, Lykstad) is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of th ...

, Holstein, in the 1630s. He was called to Copenhagen in 1642 where he became a master builder, taking over the responsibilities of

Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger (24 June 1587 – 6 August 1639) was a Flemish- Danish architect who specialised in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of prestigious Danish buildings from the first half of the 17th century. Along with his ...

."Leonhard Blasius"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 29 December 2012. As royal architect to Christian IV, Blasius was credited for major building works, mainly churches, which were carried out by the king. He managed the construction of St. Anna Rotunda and in 1641 commenced the expansion of the

Church of Holmen The Holmen Church ( da, Holmens Kirke) is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having ...

. In 1643, Blasius worked on Reberbanen in Copenhagen, built a bridge in Altona and rebuilt a church in Glückstadt. His contribution to

Trinitatis Church The Trinitatis Church (''Trinitatis Kirke'') is located in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the 17th century Trinitatis Complex, which includes the Rundetårn astronomical observatory tower and the Copenhagen University Library, in ad ...

and the adjoining

Rundetårn The Round Tower ( Danish: Rundetårn) is a 17th-century tower in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the many architectural projects of Christian IV of Denmark. Built as an astronomical observatory, it is noted for its equestrian staircase, a 7.5-turn hel ...

(1643) may have been in the last period of construction. He was sent to

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal pop ...

in 1644 to lead a restoration on fortifications but died on 8 December. Although Blasius did repair work on the king's castles (1641

Koldinghus Koldinghus is a Danish royal castle in the town of Kolding on the south central part of the Jutland peninsula. The castle was founded in the 13th century and was expanded since with many functions ranging from fortress, royal residency, ruin, mus ...

and Nygård, 1642 Tranekær, 1644 Nyborg Castle), his main effort was with churches. However, it is unclear whether Blasius had a decisive influence on their style, nor is he remembered for designing any buildings of his own. Blasius was married to Hedvig Gierritz who survived him; they had children together.

References

1644 deaths Danish architects Year of birth unknown {{Denmark-architect-stub