St. Bendt's Church (Danish: ''Sankt Bendts Kirke'') is a church in

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately from Copenhagen. History Ringsted was the site of ''Sjællands Landsting'' (lit. ''Z ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, which was originally part of a

Benedictine monastery The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

that burnt down in the 18th century. Built in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

, it is the oldest brick church in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

,St. Bendt's Church from VisitDenmark.
Retrieved 22 November 2009. dating back to about 1170 when it replaced a

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

church from about 1080. It is considered to be one of Denmark's architecturally finest churches. Furthermore, it is of special historical interest as it is the first Royal church in Denmark and it houses the tombs of many of Denmark's earlier

monarchs A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority an ...

and noblemen.

History

During comprehensive restoration work at the beginning of the 20th century, the foundations of the former travertine church (1080) were revealed, indicating that the older nave was approximately the same length as today's. The church was originally dedicated to St. Mary. In 1157, Saint

Canute Lavard Saint Knud, also known as Canute Lavard ( Danish: Knud Lavard; cognate with English Lord; 12 March 1096 – 7 January 1131) was a Danish prince. Later he was the first Duke of Schleswig and the first border prince who was both a Danish and a ...

's bones were moved into a new chapel in the church with the approval of St. Canute's son, Valdemar the Great. Many miracles were said to have occurred there and the church immediately became a popular site for pilgrimages. With the funds raised from the pilgrims and thanks to Valdemar's royal patronage, the abbey church was expanded and, in 1170, was dedicated with great ceremony to

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

. Valdemar had from the beginning designed the church for the Danish monarchy. He took advantage of the inaugural celebrations not only to have the relics of his father, St. Canute, enshrined but, also a devil statue erected in his honor and above all, to have his seven-year-old son Canute crowned and appointed by the archbishop in order to ensure the succession. Sct Bendt-kirkens indre

The church formed the north wing of a large monastery, probably built at the same time as the church. The architectural style indicates Lombard influence, possibly because the Benedictines brought Lombard builders to Denmark.Ringsted Sankt Bend's Kirk. From Gardens Corker.
In Danish. Retrieved 24 November 2009. The structure is cross-shaped with a central tower, typical of Romanesque architecture. There were, however, some later modifications in the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

such as the vaults, replacing the original flat ceiling, and the pointed arches in the tower. For centuries, the church served as the monastery church; it was only after the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

that in 1571 it became a normal parish church. A fire in 1806 destroyed the monastery and damaged the church. As a result, the western wall was pulled down and replaced with an

Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 duri ...

facade. The brickwork of the church's outer walls was covered with cement and limewashed. Large-scale restoration work was carried out between 1899 and 1910 by the Danish architect H.B. Storck who set out to restore the church to its former Romanesque style. It was the first time such extensive restoration work had been carried out in Denmark. The church took on its old appearance with new Romanesque windows in the nave. A pyramid-shaped spire was added to the tower. The cement was removed from the outer walls revealing the church's original red brickwork.

Royal burial site

As the church houses the tomb of Valdemar the Great, it is of great historical significance to Denmark. Since St. Canute's relics were enshrined in a chapel behind the high altar, the monarchs of Valdemar's line were buried in front of it. Indeed, from 1182 to 1341 all the Danish kings and queens were buried in St. Bendt's. Apart from Valdemar the Great, they included

Canute VI Canute VI (; c. 1163 – 12 November 1202) was King of Denmark from 1182 to 1202. Contemporary sources describe Canute as an earnest, strongly religious man. Background Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polots ...

Valdemar II Valdemar II Valdemarsen (28 June 1170 – 28 March 1241), later remembered as Valdemar the Victorious () and Valdemar the Conqueror, was King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. In 1207, Valdemar invaded and conquered Lybeck and Hol ...

, Eric VI and Eric IV. It is second only to

Roskilde Cathedral Roskilde Cathedral (), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church of Denmark. The cathedral is one of the most important churches in D ...

for the number of royal Danish tombs it contains. As indicated on the plaque (pictured), the most important (with the year of death) are: *Duke

(1130) *King

Valdemar I Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...

. The Great. (1182) *His Queen Sophia (1198) *His son, Duke Christopher (1166) *King

(1202) *His sister, Queen Rikissa of Sweden (1220) *King

. The Victorious (1241) *His Queen Dagmar (1213) *His Queen Berengaria (1220) *King

Valdemar III Valdemar III (1314–1364) was King of Denmark from 1326 to 1329, while he was underage; he was also Duke of Schleswig as Valdemar V in 1325–26 and from 1330 to 1364. He was a rival king set up against the unsuccessful Christopher II and was w ...

. (1231) *Lady Eleonora (1231) * Canute, Duke of Reval (1260) *His son Erik, Duke of Halland (1304) *Prince Valdemar, the son of King

Christopher I Christopher I may refer to: * Christopher I of Armenia, the Catholicos of Armenia 539 to 545 * Patriarch Christopher I of Alexandria, ruled in 817–841 * Christopher I of Denmark (1219–1259), King of Denmark from 1252 to 1259 * Christopher I, M ...

. *King

Erik IV Eric IV ( – 10 August 1250), also known as Eric Ploughpenny or Eric Plowpenny (), was King of Denmark from 1241 until his death in 1250. His reign was marked by conflict and civil wars against his brothers. Early life Eric was the son of Val ...

(1250) *King Birger of Sweden (1321) *His wife Queen Margarethe of Sweden (1341) *King Erik VI (1319) *His mother, Queen Agnes (1304) *His Queen Ingeborg (1319) *

Erik The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...

, son of King Christopher II (1331)

Decoration and furnishings

The rather poorly restored wall paintings or

kalkmalerier Church frescos or church wall paintings (Danish language, Danish: ''kalkmalerier'') are to be found in some 600 churches across Denmark, no doubt representing the highest concentration of surviving church murals anywhere in the world. Most of t ...

are significant in that they provide an idea of the violent struggles that once took place.

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. Of particular note are the frescos of

, also known as Erik Ploughpenny for the unpopular taxes he imposed on ploughs. They were painted around 1300 in an unsuccessful attempt to have the assassinated king canonized. To the left of a painting of Queen Agnes sitting on her throne is a picture of the king's murderers stabbing him with a spear while, on the right, we see fishermen retrieving the corpse from the sea. The oak choir stalls from 1420 are similar to those in Roskilde Cathedral. The sandstone font () is of Gothlandic design and believed to be one of Sighraf's earlier works. The altarpiece (1699) presents a painting of the Last Supper flanked by panels with cherubim, John the Baptist and Moses. The pulpit (1609) presents the four elements: earth, fire, air and water.

Cultural references

The church was used as a location in the 2004 comedy film ''

Oh Happy Day "Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of the 1755 hymn by clergyman Philip Doddridge. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 on the US Singles Chart, No. 1 in France, German ...

''. It was also used as a location in episode 25 of the DR television series ''

Rejseholdet ''Rejseholdet'' (, international title: ''Unit One'') is a Danish television crime drama series, broadcast on DR1, that ran for four series from 1 October 2000 to 1 January 2004. The series, produced by Danmarks Radio, revolves around an elite ...

'' (at 00:32) and in the DR Christmas calendar '' Absalons hemmelighed''.

Gallery

File:Birger of Sweden (1280) c 1322.jpg, Fresco: King Birger of Sweden File:Sct Bendt-kalkmaerier2.jpg, St. Bendt's: Murals File:Queen ingeborg 1319ad.jpg, Tomb of Queen Ingeborg File:Sct Bendt-Dagmarmindetavle.jpg, Queen Dagmar: commemorative tablet File:Sct_Bendt-Altertavle.jpg, Altarpiece File:Sct Bendt-Prædikestol.jpg, Pulpit File:Sct Bendt-døbefont.jpg, Font File:Ringsted. Grób króla Waldemara II.JPG, Tomb of Valdemar II and Dagmar File:Skt._Bendts_Kirke_kalkmaleri.jpg, Mural painting inside the church

References

Sources

* Rikke Agnete Olsen, Niels-Jørgen Hansen, Erik Kjersgaard: ''Sankt Bendts kirke i Ringsted''. National Museum of Denmark, 1972. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bendts Church, Ringsted Churches in Ringsted Municipality Churches in the Diocese of Roskilde 12th-century churches in Denmark 12th-century establishments in Denmark Romanesque architecture in Denmark

Burial sites of European royal families Burial sites of the House of Estridsen Burial sites of the House of Erik Buildings and structures completed in 1170 Churches completed in the 1170s Ringsted Canute VI of Denmark Cultural depictions of Eric IV of Denmark