Nørre Alslev Church ( da, Nørre Alslev Kirke) in the small town of
Nørre Alslev
Nørre Alslev () is a town with a population of 2,379 (1 January 2022) ...
in the north of
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 ance ...
island of
Falster
Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.
dates from at least 1308, a date found on its early
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
s. Built in the
Early Gothic
Early Gothic is the style of architecture that appeared in northern France, Normandy and then England between about 1130 and the mid-13th century. It combined and developed several key elements from earlier styles, particularly from Romanesque ar ...
style and painted pink according to local tradition, it is best known for its fresco of the death dance.
History and architecture
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, the church was dedicated to
St Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
. The Early Gothic
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
and
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
are built of brick on a high sloping foundation. The chancel, with a three-sided end, has a stepped frieze. The tower with its stepped gable and the porch are Late Gothic."Nørre Alslev kirke" , Nordens kirker. Retrieved 25 November 2012.Kirsten Weber-Andersen, Otto Norn, Aage Roussell, Gertrud Købke Knudsen, "Tingsted Kirke" ''Danmarks kirker: Maribo amt, Volume 8'', 1951, Nationalmuseet, pages 1188–1201. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
Interior
The chancel has a dome-shaped vault with semicircular ribs on dwarf columns. The chancel arch is pointed while the nave has a humped vault with clover-shaped ribs and webbing. The present vault has possibly been supported by additional masonry after a fall as evidence of a higher vault has been found.
The recently restored
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 ...
is the work of
Jørgen Ringnis
Jørgen Ringnis, also known as "Jørgen Billedsnider", (birth unknown, died 1652 in Nakskov) was a Danish woodcarver. He created a number of altarpieces and pulpits in Danish churches, especially on the islands of Lolland and Falster.
(1653). The central panel contains an alabaster relief by Henry Luckow-Nielsen (1948). The pulpit (1643) is also by Ringis.
Frescoes
Nørre Alslev Church has frescos from four different periods. They have been restored on several occasions, first by
Jacob Kornerup
Jacob Kornerup (19 November 1825 – 9 March 1913) was a Danish archeologist and painter who is remembered above all for discovering and restoring medieval frescos in Danish churches.Eigil Rothe (1868–1929) and finally by Harald Borre (1891–1964) in 1941. Those in the
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
date from the beginning of the 14th century, one apparently dated 1308. The
Majestas Domini
Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory ( la, Maiestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whos ...
over the chancel arch is from c. 1350. Rothe discovered a number of frescos in the nave which were from around 1400 but they were again covered with whitewash in view of their fragile condition. Around 1500, the entire nave was decorated with frescoes by the
Elmelunde Master
The Elmelunde Master, Danish ''Elmelundemesteren'', is the designation given to the nameless 16th-century artist who painted the frescos in the churches of Elmelunde, Fanefjord and Keldby on the island of Møn in south-eastern Denmark.
The n ...
and his workshop but many of those discovered have again been whitewashed.
The most interesting of the Elmelunde frescos is the one on the west wall depicting the
death dance
"Death Dance" is the second single from American rock band Sevendust's eleventh studio album, '' Kill the Flaw''. The single was released to digital music outlets on March 22, 2016. It peaked at number twenty-nine on the ''Billboard'' Mainstrea ...
. While the death dance (which stems from the plague) can be seen in many church decorations across Europe, it is unusual in Denmark, the only other occurrences being in
Egtved
Egtved is a village with a population of 2,446 (as of 1 January 2022) near Vejle, Denmark in Vejle municipality in the Danish Region of Southern Denmark. Nearby is Tørskind Gravel Pit, a sculpture park.
The village has a Romanesque church bui ...
and Jungshoved. Given the limited space, the fresco in Nørre Alslev is somewhat simplified but it includes a king, a bishop, a lord and a peasant. Unlike the skeletons often represented in the death dance, the figures there are all fully clothed.Heidi Pfeiffer & Ove H. Nielsen, ''Lolland-Falster – historier i landskabet'', 2012, Lolland-Falsters Historiske Samfund, pages 38–39. .
Gallery
File:Nørre Alslev kirke - Innenraum 1.jpg, The nave and the Majestas Domini (c. 1350)
File:Nørre Alslev kirke - Altarraum.jpg, The altarpiece (1653)
File:Nørre Alslev kirke - Kanzel 1.jpg, The pulpit (1643)
File:Nørre Alslev kirke - Apsis - Madonna.jpg, Apse fresco: the Madonna (13th century)
File:Nørre Alslev kirke - Totentanz König und Bischof.jpg, Fresco: the king and the bishop in the death dance (c. 1500)
File:Noralslev(59)Døbefont.JPG, Font of Gotland limestone