Hvidovre Church, located just west of Hvidovre Torv in Hvidovre, is one of the oldest churches in the Greater Copenhagen area and the oldest building in Hvidovre Municipality.

History

The church was built in the Romanesque style. The oldest part of the church is the eastern part of the nave. The chancel was demolished in circa 1155 to make room for an expansion at both ends. Part of the church was torn down during the Swedish Wars (1658-1659) and used as building materials for military structures by Swedish troops. The church was rebuilt in 1660. In 1675 the church was expanded with a side nave to create symmetry in the architecture. The side nave became known as the Valby Nave (Valbyskibet) since it was reserved for the farmers from

Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with singl ...

when they were no longer allowed to attend

Church of Our Lady Church of Our Lady may refer to: Belgium * Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp) * Church of Our Lady, Bruges *Church of Our Lady (Kortrijk) * Church of Our Lady of Laeken, site of the royal crypt, Brussels *Church of Our Lady, Melsele Canada * Church ...

in Copenhagen and did not want to mix with people from Hvidovre. The first porch, built with timber framing, was replaced by a new one in 1763. The gable and the west wall of the tower are decorated with two sandstone crowns. They were originally located on Copenhagen's Western City Gate. It was demolished in 1857 and the crowns were placed on the church in 1886. It had a steeple with three clocks which was removed in circa 1790. It

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , ...

is now located on the church tower and features Frederick IV's monogram. The priest's room (præsteværelset) was constructed on the west side of the Valby Nave in 1952.

Cemetery

The church is as other village churches surrounded by a small cemetery. The oldest surviving grave is from around 1750. A private chapel built in red brick stands at the northern cemetery wall. It was built for a Hvidovre farmer and his wife.

Burials

* Thøger Birkeland (1922-2011), author *

Bertel Budtz-Müller Bertel is a Scandinavian male given name. Notable people named Bertel include: *Bertel Backman (1906–1981), Finnish speed skater who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics *Bertel Dahlgaard (1887–1972), Danish politician, member of Folketinget fo ...

(1890-1946), poet *

Karen Margrethe Harup Karen Margrethe Harup Petersen (20 November 1924 – 9 July 2009) was a Danish swimmer. She competed in four events at the 1948 Summer Olympics and won three medals: a gold in the 100 m backstroke and silvers in the 400 m and 4 × 100 m freestyl ...

(1924-2009), swimmer *

Peter Herman Hoffmark Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

(1907-1987), composer *

Victor Johansen Victor Johansen (born 16 June 1994) is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Lyn. He has previously played for Molde and Vålerenga and is the son of the former Vålerenga-player and journalist Viggo Johansen. Career Johansen is the son of the ...

(1888-1967), painter * Hans Peder Pedersen-Dan, sculptor (1859-1939), sculptor * Johanne Pedersen-Dan, sculptor (1860-1934), actress and sculptress

Cultural references

The church was used as a location in the

Bodil Award The Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards are give ...

-winning 1955

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

drama film '' Der kom en dag''.

References

External links

Official website
{{Copenhagen churches Churches in the Diocese of Helsingør 12th-century churches in Denmark Buildings and structures in Hvidovre Municipality