Nexø Church
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Nexø Church is the parish church of
Nexø Nexø, sometimes spelled Neksø ( sv, Nexö), is a town on the east coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. With a population of 3,668 (as of 1 January 2022), it is the second largest town, as well as the largest fishing port on the is ...
, a port on the eastern coast of the Danish island of
Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
."Nexø Sogn"
''Nexø Kirke''. Retrieved 27 September 2012.


History

In the absence of records, it is difficult to date the building precisely, although it appears to have been established at the end of the Middle Ages, initially as a chapel for seafarers. Indeed, it 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
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of sailors. The church consists of a rectangular Late Gothic nave and a
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
tower. The porch on the north side dates from 1745. In 1760, the nave was extended with a northern wing. The southern porch was rebuilt in 1777 and in 1800, a
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 ...
was added at the eastern end of the nave. The walls of the nave were heightened by some 2 metres in 1731.Otto Norn, C. G. Schultz, Erik Skov, "Nexø Kirke"
Bornholms Nørre Herred, Danmarks Kirker, Bornholm, Nationalmuseet, Gad, 1954, pp. 363–381.


Architecture

The nave is built of
fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...
, the walls now reaching a height of 5.10 metres. The original windows no longer exist. The more recent straight-edged windows over the porches are probably designed as gallery windows. The other large wooden-framed Empire windows were added around 1850. The three lower storeys of the tower were built in the 16th century in the same material as the nave. The rather low tower room which opens into the church probably used to reach up to the top of the first floor. It has a curved window to the south and one with straight edges to the west. The eastern side of the tower's first floor is only closed off by the organ casing. The third storey is half-timbered on the eastern side. The bell storey is of half-timbered oak. The roof which was tiled in 1855 has a copper spire from 1910. The northern sandstone wing was completed in 1760 as attested by the date on the crowned monogram of Frederik V. The wood-framed windows date from 1832. The chancel section of the nave and the altar were renewed in 1985 as part of general renovation work throughout the building."Nexø Kirke"
''Kirkenhistorie.dk''. . Retrieved 27 September 2012.


Interior and furnishings

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 ...
from 1784 is sculpted in Nexø sandstone. The many decorations on the north gallery include
Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
in a chariot of fire,
Job Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and wants of themselves, others, or a wider community. In the context of economics, work can be viewed as the human activity that contr ...
and his friends,
Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
with the tablets of law
Jesus walking on the water Jesus walking on the water, or on the sea, is depicted as one of the miracles of Jesus recounted in the New Testament. There are accounts of this event in three Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and John—but it is not included in the Gospel of Luke. This ...
, and
Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
's shipwreck. The latter is particularly appropriate for the fishing port of Nexø where the dangers of the sea are well known. The pulpit and the gilded cross above it are from the 17th century. In 1995,
Bodil Kaalund Bodil Marie Kaalund-Jørgensen (1930–2016) was an award-winning Danish painter, textile artist and writer, who is remembered above all for her artwork in Danish churches and for her Bible illustrations. She was also a major contributor to the re ...
completed her 27 scenes from the Old and New Testaments which decorate the pulpit and the gallery. The two large brass candlesticks on the altar were a gift from the crown prince and his wife in 1946 after repairs to the church had been completed after suffering bomb damage in May 1945.


See also

*
List of churches on Bornholm This is a list of churches on the island of Bornholm in eastern Denmark."Kirker på Bornholm"
, ''Bornholms Muse ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nexo Church Churches in Bornholm Romanesque architecture in Denmark Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism