Frederik’s Church

The Marble Church

 

 

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Copenhagen grew beyond its medieval boundaries and the city expanded further to the north. During this period, King Christian IV built Rosenborg Castle, the Stock Exchange (currently under renovation following a fire in 2024), the Round Tower and the characteristic naval housing complex Nyboder, all of which are considered important cultural landmarks of Copenhagen. Plans for further urban development to the east of the area followed during the reign of Frederik V.

 

The King commissioned the Danish architect Nicolai Eigtved to plan Frederiksstaden (Frederik’s town), a grand and fashionable neighbourhood with a large number of imposing mansions, including what later became the royal residence that still stands today: Amalienborg.

The centre-point of Frederiksstaden was to be a church to commemorate the 300-year reign of the royal family. The church was designed by Eigtved in 1740 and, in 1749, King Frederik V laid the foundation stone himself amid great pomp and ceremony.

 

After the death of Eigtved in 1754, the plans for the church underwent considerable change at the hands of the French architect Nicolas Henri Jardin. The church was originally designed to be built using Norwegian marble, but this proved too costly and Prime Minister Struensee cancelled the project in 1770. However, Struensee was executed for usurpation of the royal authority two years later, after which various unsuccessful attempts were made to recommence construction of the church.

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The church site was nothing more than a rather picturesque ruin for more than a century until N.F.S. Grundvig, the Danish pastor, poet and founder of the National High School, joined others to urge for completion of the edifice. These efforts succeeded, largely due to financial help from C.F. Tietgen, a wealthy and influential businessman who commissioned the architect Ferdinand Meldahl to carry out completion of the church. It was finally consecrated on 19 August 1894.

 

Although the church is primarily built of Norwegian marble, the upper parts include Danish marble from Faxe. The circular nave is approx. 46 metres high (approx. 150 feet) and 12 pillars carry the dome which, at a diameter of 31 metres (approx. 100 feet), is one of the largest in Europe. By 1894, all the major fittings - except the font  -  had been completed following model drawings by Meldahl.

 

The frescoes inside the dome represent the Apostles and were created by the painter Chresten Overgaard in accordance with preliminary drawings by his colleague, Henrik Olrik. Below the dome there are 12 symbolic medallions, and motives from the 42nd Psalm flank the baroque altar. The church has two baptismal fonts. The original was by Stefan Sinding (now in storage) and the current font in the choir was designed by Joachim Skovgaard in 1925.

 

Besides the ornate original 'SwanOrgan' to the right of the entrance (no longer in use), the church has a modern Marcussen organ from 1963.

Other notable details include the German woodcarving in the front chapel depicting the Deposition, the German ivory cross in the choir and the commemorative relief of C.F. Tietgen and his wife from 1920 (by Niels Skovgaard).

 

The church is surrounded by many statues. Those at street level depict a number of well-known figures from the Danish church such as Søren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, Ansgar, the author and 'the Apostle of Denmark', as well as important Danish hymn writers such as Kingo, Brorson and Grundtvig. The statues on the roof terrace are of leading figures in church history, spanning from Moses to Martin Luther.

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The Marble Church is a working parish church and part of the Danish state church: the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark. Although the official name of the church is Frederik's Church, Copenhageners always refer to it as the Marble Church.