The Trinitatis Church (''Trinitatis Kirke'') is located in central

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

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 ...

. It is part of the 17th century Trinitatis Complex, which includes the

Rundetårn The Round Tower () is a 17th-century tower in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the many architectural projects of Christian IV. Built as an astronomical observatory, it is noted for its equestrian staircase, a 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to th ...

astronomical observatory tower and the Copenhagen University Library, in addition to the church. Built in the time of

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

, the church initially served the students of

Copenhagen University The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. The University of Copenhagen c ...

. It is situated at the corner of Landemærket and Købmagergade. The interior was seriously damaged in the fire of 1728 but was rebuilt in 1731."Trinitatis Church"
, Visit Copenhagen. Retrieved 16 December 2012.

History

Initial plans in 1635 were for a student church at Regensen, the

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

for students at Copenhagen University, but the following year, new plans emerged with the corner of Landemærket and Købmagergade earmarked for the church location, as it was decided to include the church in a complex extending to a church library and an astronomical observatory. The humanistically inspired combination was from a commission of Christian IV. There were three builders, namely

Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger (24 June 1587 – 6 August 1639) was a Flemish- Danish architect who specialised in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of prestigious Danish buildings from the first half of the 17th century. Along with hi ...

, Leonhard Blasius, and Albertus Mathiesen. At the time of construction, the church was the second largest in the city, second only to the Church of Our Lady. As the church was only intended to be used by university students and professors, it may appear oversized, but all indications are that the library space above the nave needed a certain church size. The foundation stone was laid July 7, 1637, and the Round Tower was completed in 1642. The church was consecrated on

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

1656. The Copenhagen University Library was installed in the church loft in 1657. After marrying the widow of J.M. Radeck in 1685, Christian Geist assumed Radeck's organist position at the church. Hafnia Hodierna Tab XCII Trinitatis Kirke

Hafnia Hodierna Tab XCII Trinitatis Kirke

During the fire of 1728, the Trinitatis Church was not as badly damaged as other churches in the city. The roof structure was ignited, a spire crashed into the library, punching a hole in some of the arches of the church. The university library was burnt. Church walls and vaults withstood the fire and subsequent repairs did not decisively change the church's appearance. A new cornice and spire were required. The new roof was covered with black glazed tiles. New dormer windows were inserted but only in one row. The interior bases and capitals of the columns and arches were repaired. All wood furnishings were replaced, and the floor was covered with tiles from

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Oland'' internationally) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. ...

. The reconstruction was in Northern Gothic-Baroque style. The church was rededicated October 7, 1731 and the remains of the university library were moved again. The furnishings were renewed with an

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

and

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

by Friederich Ehbisch (1731) and a large Baroque clock (1757). The church was refurbished in 1763. Trinitatis Kirke Copenhagen portal northwest

The Trinitatis Complex was hit during the 1807 British bombardment of Copenhagen, and damaged by major fires. Four bombs struck the library, but did not penetrate through to the church. Thanks to the efforts of churchwarden Tvermoes, injuries were minimized. Building repairs amounted to relatively modest 3,000 rigsdaler. Alterations were necessary in 1817 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of 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 ...

. It was determined that the church's main entrance, the southwest portal, did not have suitable access through the fence wall and the cemetery for the procession of priests and professors who would join the festivities, so the north face became the church front. The small shops on the corner of Landemærket were closed, as was the remainder of the cemetery north of the church. The original portals were replaced with new ones, designed by Peder Malling. The eastern entrance was also reopened, having been bricked up for a number of years. A major restoration was completed in 1834-35 by Gustav Friedrich Hetsch, funded by a bequest from Christopher Hauschildt. Most of the work took place inside the building, including a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

, detached on the south side of the choir. The roof was refurbished in 1848-49 without affecting its appearance. In 1861, the university library moved from the church attic to

Johan Daniel Herholdt Johan Daniel Herholdt (13 August 1818 – 11 April 1902) was a Danish architect, professor and royal building inspector. He worked in the Historicist style and had a significant influence on Danish architecture during the second half of the 19th ...

's library building in Fiolstræde. External renovations occurred 1869-71 by a design of Niels Sigfred Nebelong in connection with a change in the church's patronage. The sacristy on the south side of the chorus was removed and a new one built by the east gable, measuring approximately , with cut corners; it was transformed into a priest room in 1960. The notable

chamber choir A chamber choir is a small or medium-sized choir of roughly 8 to 40 singers (occasionally called "chamber singers"), typically singing classical or religious music in a concert setting.Riemann, Hugo. Dictionary of Music'. Trans. J.A. Shedlock. A ...

dates to 1993.

Architecture and fittings

The original church consisted of a high, long brick building without much adornment, constructed of small

Dutch brick Dutch brick (Dutch: :nl:IJsselsteen, IJsselsteen) is a small type of red brick made in the Netherlands, or similar brick, and an architectural style of building with brick developed by the Dutch people, Dutch. The brick, made from clay dug fro ...

s. The

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called '' courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...

was laid in a cross-linking pattern of yellow and red stripes, obscured by accumulated dirt. Alterations and repairs in 1675 may have changed the building's appearance. The current exterior dates to the 1870 renovation. The interior is painted white. It consists of a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

with two lofty

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s and a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

with a three-sided termination."Trinitatis Kirke (København)"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 16 December 2012. Shaped as a longhouse, it is divided by eight pillars, the easternmost having

chamfer A chamfer ( ) is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces. Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fur ...

ed corners. The roof was originally covered with slate. A flèche over the chancel houses the bells. The building's west end integrates the Rundetårn tower, which has a spiraling ramp to the top. Other features include

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es and high granite

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

s. The eastern sections have rounded corners. An original rectangular window is near the library floor. The tower originally had arched window openings. On the roof there were dormer windows in two rows. There were four gateways to the church, two on the north side and two on the south side. The church's south side was originally considered the front. As in a village church, the choir was set in the east, and the tower in the west, although the Round Tower was not part of the church. There are vaulted ceilings. The sanctuary was divided by two rows of seven columns in the longitudinal direction matching the church's exterior. What once functioned as the Library Hall now serves as an exhibition gallery and venue for classical concerts. The

Marcussen & Søn Marcussen & Søn, also known as Marcussen and previously as Marcussen & Reuter, is a Denmark, Danish firm of pipe organ builders. They were one of the first firms to go back to classical organ-building techniques, and have been producing tracker ...

organ dates to 1956.

Grounds

A cemetery was added on the church grounds as evidenced by Geddes' 1757 map of the neighborhood. After the

Copenhagen Fire of 1795 The Copenhagen Fire of 1795 (''Københavns brand 1795'') started on Friday, 5 June 1795, at or around 3 pm by the Navy's old base south east of Kongens Nytorv on Gammelholm, in the Navy's magazine for coal and timber, the so-called Dellehave. As t ...

, which did not affect Trinitatis Church, a mandate for fire insurance was imposed. As the premium was substantial for the church's small resources, the church attorney, Nicolaj Christoffer Kall, suggested building shops on church property and renting them out to help increase revenues. The proposal was approved and construction began in 1798. Most of the cemetery north of the church was involved, and the shops were built along Købmagergade from the Round Tower to Landemærket, and further along Landemærket. Positioned on the south side of the church, features include a burial vault (1870) and granite tiles (1928-29).

Burials

Lauritz de Thurah Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah (4 March 1706 – 5 September 1759), was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period. As an architectural write ...

(1706–1759), architect * Frederik Christian Eilschov (1625–1750), philosopher * Jørgen Elers (1647–1692), philanthropist *

Johannes Ewald Johannes Ewald (18 November 174317 March 1781) was a Danish national dramatist, psalm writer and poet. The lyrics of a song from one of his plays are used for one of the Danish national anthems, ''Kong Christian stod ved højen mast'' whic ...

(1743–1781), dramatist and poet * Jacob Fabris (1689–1761), theatre painter and decorative artist * Lorenz Nikolai Fallesen (1757–1824), priest, writer and editor * Ludvig Sophus Fallesen (1807–1840), forester and mathematician) * Hans Gram (1685–1748), linguist and historian * Jens Hornsyld (1757–1840), priest * Frederik Theodor Hurtigkarl, (1763–1829) *

Bolle Luxdorph Bolle Luxdorph (19 February 1643 – 5 September 1698) was a Denmark, Danish civil servant and landowner. He was ennobled under the name Luxdorph family, Luxdorph in 1679. He owned the estates Rosengaard, Sandbygaard, and Sørupgaard. He left th ...

(1643–1698), civil servant and landowner * Bolle Willum Luxdorph (1716–1788), civil servant and writer * Claudi Rosset (1687–1767), ''galanterie'' merchant and philanthropist * Christian Sandvig (1752–1786), historian and writer * Hans Schack /1608–1676), military officer and count * Henrik von Stöcken (1631–1681), civil servant *

Johan Herman Wessel Johan Herman Wessel (6 October 1742 – 29 December 1785) was an 18th-century Danish-Norwegian poet, satirist and playwright. His written work was characterized by the use of parody and satiric wit. Biography Wessel was born and raised at Ve ...

(1742–1785), poet, satirist and playwright

Gallery

File:Trinitatis Kirke Copenhagen altar.jpg, Altarpiece: Friederich Ehbisch (1731) File:Trinitatis Kirke Copenhagen memorial10.jpg, Monument to

Ewald Ewald is a given name and surname used primarily in Germany and Scandinavia. It derives from the Germanic roots '' ewa'' meaning "law" and ''wald'' meaning "power, brightness". People and concepts with the name include: Surnames * Douglas Ewald ( ...

and Wessel: Otto Evens (1879) File:Trinitatis Kirke Copenhagen pulpit.jpg, Pulpit: Ehbisch (1731) File:Trinitatis Kirke Copenhagen epitaph9.jpg, Terkel Klevefeldt's Epitaph

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Churches in the Diocese of Copenhagen Lutheran churches in Copenhagen 17th-century Church of Denmark churches