Væggerløse Church ( da, Væggerløse Kirke) is a Romanesque church in the village of Væggerløse, south of Nykøbing on the Danish island of

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

. Its early 16th century

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 plast ...

s depict the

Supper at Emmaus According to the Gospel of Luke, the road to Emmaus appearance is one of the early post-resurrection appearances of Jesus after his crucifixion and the discovery of the empty tomb. Both the meeting on the road to Emmaus and the subsequent suppe ...

History

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 ...

the church was dedicated to St Olaf. The

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. ...

and nave from the late Romanesque period were built in brick on a profiled plinth with pilaster strips on the corners. The chancel's pilaster strips now only remain on its southwest corner. Originally there was also an

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''. ...

which was torn down but later replaced during the restoration work in 1861 by the Hamburg architect Ernst Heinrich Glüer. On that occasion, the south door was bricked up but the door frame remains. The tower is from the Late Gothic period."Væggerløse kirke"
''Nordens Kirker''. Retrieved 13 November 2012.

Interior

The chancel and the nave have a flat-beamed ceiling. The altarpiece painting of Christ Resurrected is by

Heinrich Hoffman Heinrich Hoffman was born on December 23, 1836. He served in the American Civil War, and was a Medal of Honor Recipient. He served as a Corporal in the Union Army in Company M, 2nd Ohio Cavalry. He received the Medal of Honor for action on April ...

(1868). The pulpit from c. 1640 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.

, similar to that in Aastrup Church. Its large shell-framed panels depict the four evangelists. The Early Gothic crucifix on the north wall of the nave, c. 175 cm high, is from the late 13th century.Kirsten Weber-Andersen, Otto Norn, Aage Roussell, Gertrud Købke Knudsen, "Vegerløse Kirke"
''Danmarks kirker: Maribo amt, Volume 8'', 1951, Nationalmuseet, pages 1345–1358. Retrieved 14 November 2012.

Frescos

In 1906, frescos from c. 1520 were discovered in the tower vault. Painted on a thin layer of whitewash, they were in poor condition. The south segment depicted the

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...

, the fresco on the east segment could not be identified and that on the north side showed Christ's entry into Jerusalem followed by haloed apostles. The fresco on the west segment, depicting a lively scene of the

, was in good enough condition to be preserved. Christ sits with two distinguished gentlemen at a finely set table with bread and a spotted leg of venison. There are two servants, one carrying a bowl, the other pouring wine from a jug. The woman lying on the floor in the foreground is perhaps

Mary Magdelene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resur ...

. The colours are grey, russet, ochre and green.

Gallery

File:Vaeggerlose08Skibet set mod øst.JPG, nave File:Vaeggerlose17Tårnrum østkappe, Middag i Emmaus (1).JPG, Supper at Emmaus File:Vaeggerlose18Tårnrum østkappe, Middag i Emmaus (2).JPG, Detail of table File:Vaeggerlose20Tårnrum østkappe, Middag i Emmaus (4).JPG, Servant with bowl File:Vaeggerlose19Tårnrum østkappe, Middag i Emmaus (3).JPG, Servant with wine

References

Bibliography

*Kirsten Weber-Andersen, Otto Norn, Aage Roussell, Gertrud Købke Knudsen, ''Danmarks kirker: Maribo amt'', Vol. 8, 1951, Nationalmuseet, pages 1345 to 1358.

External links

Væggerløse Kirke from Danmarks Kirker
with photos. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaeggerlose Church frescos in Denmark Churches in Falster Romanesque architecture Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism Churches in the Diocese of Lolland–Falster