Zion's Church (

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 ...

: Sions Kirke) is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church on

Østerbrogade Østerbrogade is the principal shopping street and thoroughfare in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It extends from Lille Triangel at the north-eastern tip of The Lakes, passes Trianglen, and continues to Svanemøllen station from ...

, just south of Svanemøllen station, in the

Østerbro Østerbro () (literally, "Eastern Bridge") is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located just north of the city centre, outside the old city gate Østerport which, after it was moved around 1700, used to be located clos ...

district of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

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 ...

. It was completed in 1896 to a design by Valdemar Koch, making it the second oldest church in Østerbro.

History

In the early 1890s, St. James' Church was still the only church in the rapidly growing

district. In April 1893, its pastor, Pastor Krag, proposed that a second church in St. James' Parish be built in the area near the new

Freeport of Copenhagen The Free Port of Copenhagen is a bonded area in the northern part of Port of Copenhagen of Copenhagen, Denmark. Created to consolidate Copenhagen's position as an important maritime hub in Northern Europe, it was established in the area just nor ...

. The plans were later expanded to also include a third church in the neighbourhood but funds still needed to be found for the two new churches. Zion's Church was built for money donated by residents of St. James' Parish in connection with Pastor Krag's silver wedding and it is believed to be the first Danish church in modern times that was built exclusively from private means. The site was donated by the City. At that time, the address was on Strandvejen but the section between

Jagtvej Jagtvej ( lit. "Hunt Road") is a major artery in the Nørrebro and Østerbro districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It runs from Ågade on the border with Frederiksberg in the southwest to Østerbrogade in the northeast, linking Falkoner Allé with ...

and Svanemøllen station was included in Østerbrogade in 1943. The architect Valdemar Koch was charged with designing the church. The foundation stones (there were three, representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost) were set on 9 July 1895 and it was consecrated on 27 September 1896. The church was originally built without a tower but one was added in 1921 to a design byK.Varming in 1921 .

Architecture

The church is designed in a

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style. It is built in red brick on a granite plinth with detailing in chalk. Savonnère stone, Öland chalk and Norwegian marble has also been employed. The western gable has a round arched portal with a Tympanum framed by a triangular gable below a window group unified by a large arch. The west gable's arch frieze is a copy of the one at Hammlev Church near on

Djursland Djursland () is a 44 km × 33 km hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, ...

. Koch had previously surveyed the chalk churches of the area around

Grenå Grenaa (or Grenå) is a Danish town and seaport on the east coast of the Jutlandic peninsula. Tourism, education and commerce are important sectors in the economy of Grenaa. It is the only larger town on Djursland. Grenaa is the municipal seat, a ...

and published a book about them in 1896. The sides of the building have friezes, executed in chalk by Th. Bærentsen, and are segmented by

lesene A lesene, also called a pilaster strip, is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief vertical pillar on a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital. It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building ...

s .

Interior and furnishings

The barrel vaulted church room has wooden galleries supported by iron pillars on both sides. The chancel is raised three steps and behind the altar table is a painting by P. Steffensen depicting ''Den Vantro Thomas'' (Doubting Thomas). The mural on the walls of the choir was painted by Johannes Kragh in 1899 and shows the

Resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus ( grc-x-biblical, ἀνάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lo ...

. Krag also painted the mural on the west wall, surrounding the organ. It presents The Apocalypse. The baptismal font is in granite and has reliefs by Anders Bundgaard which are inspired by those on Romanesque granite fonts. They depict deer surrounding the

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...

, the

Fall of man The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * The doctrine of the ...

and, on its base, an animal biting a snake.

References

External links

Official website
{{Copenhagen churches Churches completed in 1896 Churches in the Diocese of Copenhagen Churches in Østerbro Lutheran churches in Copenhagen

History

Architecture

Interior and furnishings

See also

References

External links