by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

• Official Website: Roskilde Cathedral

Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark, which this writer has visited, located 19miles/30 km west of Copenhagen on the island of Zealand, is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. It has been the main site for Danish royal burials since the 15th century and most monarchs and their consorts from the House of Oldenburg (1448 – 1863) and the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1863 – present) are buried there. The cathedral was also used for non-royal burials and the floor is covered with hundreds of grave markers with additional graves in the crypts.

King Harald Bluetooth named Roskilde the capital of Denmark in 960 and a small wooden church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built on the location of the current cathedral. The first stone cathedral, in the Romanesque style, was completed in 1080 and a monastery was completed soon afterward.

In 1200, an expansion of the cathedral began and was completed in 1280, resulting in the Brick Gothic cathedral we see today The magnificent red brick building consists of about 2.5 million bricks and is twice as high as the old cathedral. A fire in 1443 damaged the cathedral, requiring renovations. During the Protestant Reformation, in 1538, Roskilde Cathedral ceased being a place of Catholic worship and became a house of Protestant worship.

Royal Burials

To accommodate the many royal burials, chapels were added to the 13th century Brick Gothic cathedral, each built in the architectural style of its time. There are also burials of other members of the Danish royal family in the crypts. The years below are birth and death years.

• Unofficial Royalty: Danish Royal Burial Sites: House of Oldenburg, 1448 – 1863
• Unofficial Royalty: Danish Royal Burial Sites: House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, 1863 – present

Holy Trinity Church

• Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway (died circa 985 – 986)
• Sweyn Forkbeard‎, King of Denmark, Norway, and England (963 – 1014)

Harald Bluetooth, who introduced Christianity to Denmark, was buried at the Holy Trinity Church, the wooden first church on the site. His son Sweyn Forkbeard was first buried in England and his remains were later moved to Denmark where they were interred near his father at the Holy Trinity Church. However, their tombs have never been found.

Pier in the Apse

• Sweyn II Estridsen, King of Denmark (1019 – 1076

Sweyn II Ertridsen was interred in the southeastern pier. A pier is similar to a column and is designed to support arches. In the photo below, a portrait of Sweyn II Ertridsen on the right marks the pier where he is buried.

Choir 

• Margrethe I, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (1353 – 1412)

Queen Margrethe I was interred in a sarcophagus behind the high altar. Her beautiful sarcophagus was made by German sculptor Johannes Junge (link in German) in 1423. She had left property to the Roskilde Cathedral on the condition that Masses for her soul would be said regularly in the future. This was discontinued in 1536 during the Protestant Reformation although a special bell is still rung twice daily in memory of Queen Margrethe I.

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Tombs in the Apse

The apse is the end of a cathedral opposite the main entrance. It is often circular as it is at Roskilde Cathedral. The sarcophagi here are all grand white marble structures except for King Christopher III’s who lived more than two hundred years earlier and has a tomb with an effigy.

• Christopher III, King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (1416 – 1448)
• Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway (1646 – 1699
• Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, wife of Christian V (1650 – 1714)
• Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway (1671 – 1730)
• Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, first wife of Frederik IV (1667 – 1721)

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Trolle Chapel

• Anna Sophie von Reventlow, mistress, bigamous wife, and then 2nd legal wife of Frederik IV (1693 – 1743)

Anna Sophie was hated by Frederik IV’s children from his first marriage to Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Upon Frederik IV’s death, his son and successor King Christian VI banished Anne Sophie from the court and kept her under house arrest at Clausholm Castle, her family home. When Anna Sophie died, King Christian VI allowed her to be buried at Roskilde Cathedral, but in the Trolle Chapel, originally built for members of the Trolle noble family, which is on the opposite side of the cathedral, far away from his parents’ tombs. The two smaller tombs are the tombs of two of six children (who all died in infancy) of Frederik IV and Anna Sophie.

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Chapel of the Magi (Christian I’s Chapel)

• Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (1426 – 1481)
• Dorothea of Brandenburg, wife of Christian I (1431 – 1495)
• Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway (1503 – 1559)
• Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, wife of Christian III (1511 – 1571)
• Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway (1534 – 1588)
• Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, wife of Frederik II (1557 – 1631)

King Christian I, the first monarch of the House of Oldenburg, built the Chapel of the Magi as a family burial chapel for the House of Oldenburg. While the elaborate tombs of King Christian III, King Frederik II, and their consorts are in the Chapel of the Magi, the graves of King Christian I and Queen Dorothea are marked with simple stones because the chapel itself was to be considered their memorial monument.

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Christian IV’s Chapel

• Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway (1577 – 1648)
• Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, first wife of Christian IV (1575 – 1612)
• Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark, Crown Prince of Norway, son of Christian IV ( 1603 – 1647)
• Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway (1609 – 1670)
• Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, wife of Frederik III (1628 – 1685)

In 1613, a year after the death of his first wife Anna Katharina, Christian IV ordered the construction of a new burial chapel because the space inside Roskilde Cathedral for burials was very limited. Two older chapels were demolished to make space for the new burial chapel. The exterior of the new chapel was completed by 1641. However, when Christian IV died in 1648, the interior had not been completed and his coffin was placed in the crypt below. The interior of the chapel was not completed until 1866. Two large paintings illustrating important scenes from Christian IV’s life are on the walls and a statue of Christian IV watches over the chapel. King Christian IV’s silver-plated casket now stands in the middle of the chapel. His casket is surrounded by the caskets of his first wife Anna Katharina of Brandenburg, his eldest son and heir apparent Christian who predeceased him, his second son who succeeded him as King Frederik III, and Frederik III’s wife Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneberg.

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Frederik V’s Chapel

• Christian VI, King of Denmark and Norway (1699 – 1746)
• Sophia Magdalena of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, wife of Christian VI (1700 – 1770)
• Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway (1723 – 1766)
• Louisa of Great Britain, first wife of Frederik V (1724 – 1751)
• Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, second wife of Frederik V (1729 – 1796)
• Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway (1749 – 1808)
• Frederik VI, King of Denmark and Norway (1768 – 1839)
• Marie of Hesse-Kassel, wife of Frederik VI (1767 – 1852)
• Christian VIII, King of Denmark (1786 – 1848)
• Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein, second wife of Christia VIII (1796 – 1881)
• Frederik VII, King of Denmark (1808 – 1863)

Frederik V’s Chapel consists of two chapels in the neoclassical style, constructed 1774–1825 and required the removal of a previous existing chapel. One chapel has two adjoining rooms and is referred to as Christian VI’s Chapel. The other, Frederik’s V Chapel, is a domed chapel in the shape of a cross. The interiors have the classic white-washed wall. The chapels show a gradual trend in moving from grand marble sarcophagi to more simple velvet-covered coffins, and in the case of Frederik VII, a wooden coffin. An example of a marble sarcophagus and examples of velvet-covered coffins can be seen in the photo below.

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Christian IX’s Chapel

• Christian IX, King of Denmark (1818 – 1906)
• Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of Christian IX (1817 – 1898)
• Frederik VIII, King of Denmark (1843 – 1912)
• Louise of Sweden, wife of Frederik VIII (1851 – 1926)
• Christian X, King of Denmark (1870 – 1947)
• Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of Christian X (1879 – 1952)

The tombs of the first three kings and queen consorts of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg are in the rather small Christian IX’s Chapel also known as the Glücksburg Chapel. When Christian IX died, a competition was held for a design of a double sarcophagus for him and his wife Queen Louise who had predeceased him. The winning design was later determined to be too controversial. Instead, the sarcophagus was designed by Edvard Eriksen, who created the famous Little Mermaid statue in the Copenhagen harbor, and architect Hack Kampmann. They created a large sarcophagus in white marble surrounded by three graceful sculptures depicting Remembrance, Love, and Sorrow.

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Maria Feodorovna’s Temporary Burial Site

• Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia, born Prince Dagmar of Denmark (1847 – 1928)

Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russian, the wife of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and mother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, was born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, the daughter of Christian IX, King of Denmark. After escaping from Russia after the Russian Revolution, she lived the rest of her life in Denmark. Upon her death in 1928, she was buried at Roskilde Cathedral. She had wished that at some point in time she could be buried with her husband. In 2005, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed, along with their governments, that her wish should be fulfilled. Her remains were transported to St. Petersburg and interred next to her husband in the Peter and Paul Cathedral on September 28, 2006.

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Frederik IX’s Burial Site

• Frederick IX, King of Denmark (1899 – 1972)
• Ingrid of Sweden, wife of Frederik IX (1910 – 2000)

King Frederik IX had a career in the Royal Danish Navy where he had several senior commands and attained the rank of Rear Admiral. Unlike other Danish monarchs who had been buried inside Roskilde Cathedral, Frederik wanted to be buried outside the cathedral in sight of the sea. The two photos below of the burial site right outside of Roskilde Catherdral were taken by this author who can verify that the Roskilde Fjord can be seen from the site of the grave.

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St. Brigid’s Chapel – Margrethe II’s Future Burial Site

• Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark (born 1940)

In 2010, it was announced that Queen Margrethe II had chosen St. Brigid’s Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral as the burial site for herself and her husband Prince Henrik. St. Bridgid’s Chapel, built in 1485, is one of the two remaining old chapels. However, the Danish Royal Court announced on August 3, 2017, that Prince Henrik did not want to be buried in Roskilde Cathedral. Following his funeral in 2018, Prince Henrik’s remains were cremated with half of his ashes spread over Danish waters, and the other half interred in the private garden at Fredensborg Castle.

Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard designed the sarcophagus. The photos below are from this author’s visit to Roskilde Cathedral in August 2011 where she was able to see a conservator restoring the 500-year-old murals on the chapel’s walls and a display about Queen Margrethe II’s tomb. Since this author’s visit, the sarcophagus has been finished and installed but is covered until the death of Queen Margrethe II.

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Other Royal Burials

The following are also buried in Roskilde Cathedral, mostly in the crypts.

• Prince Christopher of Denmark, Duke of Lolland, son of Valdemar IV (1341 – 1363)
• Prince Magnus of Denmark, Duke of Holstein, son of Christian III‎ (1540 – 1583)
• Prince Ulrik of Denmark, son of Frederik II (1578 – 1624)‎
• Prince  Hans of Denmark, son of Frederik II (1583 – 1602)‎
• Prince Ulrik of Denmark, son of Christian IV (1611 – 1633)‎
• Princess Magdalena Sibylle of Saxony, wife of Christian, Prince Elect of Denmark, Crown Prince of Norway, son of Christian IV (1617 – 1668)
• Prince Christian of Denmark, son of Christian V (1675 – 1695)
• Princess Sophie Hedwig of Denmark, daughter of Christian V‎ (1677 – 1735)
• Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, son of Christian V (1687 – 1705)
• Prince Carl of Denmark, son of Christian V‎ (1680 – 1729)
• Princess Charlotte Amalie of Denmark, daughter of Frederik IV‎ (1706 – 1782)
• Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway‎, son of Frederik V (1753 – 1805)
• Sophie Friederike of Mecklenburg, wife of Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark‎, son of Frederik V 1758 – 1794
• Princess Juliane of Denmark, daughter of ‎Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway (1788 – 1850)
• Princess Louise Charlotte of Denmark, daughter of ‎ Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway (1789 – 1864)
• Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, son of ‎Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (1792 – 1863)
• Princess Caroline of Denmark, daughter of Frederick VI ‎(1793 – 1881)
• Prince Wilhelm of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg‎ (1816 – 1893), brother of Christian IX
• Prince Johann von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, brother of Christian IX‎ (1825 – 1911)
• Prince Valdemar of Denmark, son of Christian IX‎ (1858 – 1939)
• Princess Marie of Orléans, wife of Prince Valdemar (1865 – 1909)‎
• Prince Harald of Denmark, son of Frederik VIII‎ (1876 – 1949)
• Princess Thyra of Denmark, daughter of Frederik VIII (1880 – 1945)‎
• Prince Gustav of Denmark, son of Frederik VIII‎ (1887 – 1944)
• Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg, son of Prince Valdemar, grandson of Christian IX‎ (1890–1950)
• Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg, son of Prince Valdemar, grandson of Christian IX‎ (1893 – 1970)
• Eleanor Margaret Green, Princess Viggo, Countess of Rosenborg, wife of Prince Viggo (1895 – 1966)
• Princess Margaret of Denmark, daughter of Prince Valdemar, granddaughter of Christian IX‎ (1895 – 1992)
• Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark‎, son of Christian X (1900 – 1976)
• Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, daughter of Prince Harald, granddaughter of Frederik VIII,‎ wife of Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (1912 – 1995)
• Prince Gorm of Denmark‎, son of Prince Harald of Denmark, grandson of Frederik VIII) (1919 – 1991)
• Count Christian of Rosenborg, son of Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg, grandson of Prince Valdemar (1932 – 1997)

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Roskilde Domkirke – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde_Domkirke> [Accessed 4 September 2021].
• De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Dom zu Roskilde – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_zu_Roskilde> [Accessed 4 September 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Roskilde Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde_Cathedral> [Accessed 4 September 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2012. Danish Royal Burial Sites: House of Oldenburg, 1448 – 1863. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/danish-royal-burial-sites/house-of-oldenburg-1448-1863/> [Accessed 4 September 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2012. Danish Royal Burial Sites: House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, 1863 – present. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/danish-royal-burial-sites/house-of-schleswig-holstein-sonderburg-glucksburg-1863-present/> [Accessed 4 September 2021].
• Roskildedomkirke.dk. 2021. Visit Roskilde Cathedral | Roskilde Domkirke. [online] Available at: <https://roskildedomkirke.dk/english> [Accessed 4 September 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Holmens Church in Copenhagen, Denmark is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The church has long had a connection to ships and the Danish navy and is located on the water. In medieval Copenhagen, Holmen was an island but in the 16th century, city restructuring made it a peninsula surrounded by Holmens Canal. On this peninsula, King Christian III founded a shipyard that became synonymous with the name Holmen. In 1617, King Christian IV built houses for the shipyard workers. This increased the population of the area and it was necessary to build a larger church which was constructed in a building that had been used as a forge for anchors. This church required only interior work and no major redesign of the basic structure of the building and was consecrated on September 5, 1619.

The church quickly became too small, and in 1641 it was decided to expand the church. Architect Leonhard Blasius was the builder of the second church, but it was King Christian IV who determined the design of the church which was modeled after the Glücksburg Castle Church. The major Copenhagen fires of 1728 and 1795 did not affect Holmens Church, and the bombardments in 1659 and 1807 only caused minor damage to the church.

Today’s church is much the same as the second church built by King Christian IV. Holmens Church still has the original whitewashed walls, the barrel-vaulted ceiling with stucco decoration, and the large oak altarpiece and the oak pulpit made by sculptor Abel Schrøder the Younger.  The only major addition was the chapel hall begun in 1705 under the direction of Danish architect Johann Conrad Ernst where the tombs of famous Danish naval personnel rest.

There are no royal burials at Holmens Church except for two possibilities. The crypt under the chapel hall has an inscription that tells of two small corpses transferred from the chapel of a royal castle. It is assumed that these are two of the six children of King Frederik IV and Anna Sophie Reventlow, his mistress, bigamous wife, and 2nd legal wife. Three of their children were born before the legal marriage in 1721 but none survived infancy. The three children born after the 1721 marriage were styled as Prince/Princess of Denmark and Norway but none of them survived infancy either. The deaths of all six children of Frederik IV and Anna Sophie were seen by many as divine punishment for their bigamous marriage.

King Frederik IX had a career in the Royal Danish Navy and had a great love for the sea. Perhaps that was the reason his three children were christened at Holmens Church. His eldest daughter and successor Queen Margrethe II was also married there and her son King Frederik X and his twin son and daughter Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were christened at Holmens Church.

Royal Events at Holmens Church

Christening of the future King Frederik X. Looking on in the middle is his grandfather King Frederik IX

• May 14, 1940 – Christening of the future Queen Margrethe II, daughter of King Frederik IX
• May 24, 1944 – Christening of Princess Benedikte, daughter of King Frederik IX
• October 9, 1946 – Christening of Princess Anne-Marie, later Queen Consort of Greece, daughter of King Frederik IX
• June 10, 1967 – Wedding of Queen Margrethe II and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat
• June 24, 1968 – Christening of the future King Frederik X, son of Queen Margrethe II
• April 14, 2011 – Christening of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, twin son and daughter of King Frederik X

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Holmens Kirke – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmens_Kirke> [Accessed 30 August 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Holmen Church – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmen_Church> [Accessed 30 August 2021].
• Holmenskirke.dk. 2021. Holmens Kirke. [online] Available at: <https://www.holmenskirke.dk/> [Accessed 30 August 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Frederiksborg Castle Church, located in Frederiksborg Castle, is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. Frederiksborg Castle is located in Hillerød, Denmark on the island of Zealand 18 miles/30 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway in the early 17th century, replacing an older castle acquired by his father King Frederik II. Christian IV had been born at the castle and became quite attached to his birthplace. However, he decided to have it completely rebuilt in the Flemish and Dutch Renaissance styles. The old castle was demolished in 1599 and the Flemish architect Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder designed the new castle.

The castle ceased to be used as a royal residence by the end of the 18th century and was used to house the royal collection of portraits. In the mid-19th century, King Frederik VII and his morganatic third wife Louise Rasmussen, Countess Danner began to use Frederiksborg Castle as a residence. On the evening of December 16, 1859, King Frederik VII was examining his historic artifacts in a room on the third floor. The night was cold and so Frederik VII asked for a fire to be lit. However, the chimney was under repair and a fire broke out. The fire spread quickly, causing major damage to most of the castle but the castle chapel, the audience chamber, and the privy passage survived the fire.

The Danish royal family decided that they would no longer use the castle as a residence and so a discussion began regarding the future purpose of the castle. J. C. Jacobsen, the founder of Carlsberg Brewery, proposed the establishment of a museum of national history at Frederiksborg Castle and he offered to pay for both the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle and the museum’s future expenses. Jacobsen created the Carlsberg Foundation and allocated some of his shares in the Carlsberg Brewery to fund and operate the Danish Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Palace and the Carlsberg Research Laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Danish Museum of National History opened in 1882 and has since been an independent department of the Carlsberg Foundation.

• Official Website: Frederiksborg – The Danish Museum of National History

The current castle church, built when Christian IV rebuilt Frederiksborg Castle, was consecrated in 1617. It escaped being damaged in the 1859 fire. The church is located in the west wing of the three-winged castle. The castle church extends along the entire length of the west wing with a long nave and a two-story gallery. The six-vaulted stucco ceiling is supported by pillars rising from the galleries. The pillars are decorated with frescos of Biblical figures, painted in the 1690s. The altarpiece and pulpit were made by German silversmith Jacob Mores.

During the period of absolute monarchy (1660 – 1848) the Kings of Denmark and their Queens Consort were anointed in the Frederiksborg Castle Church except for King Christian VII and his wife Caroline Matilda of Wales whose anointing took place at held in the Christiansborg Palace Chapel in Copenhagen. The new king would arrive at the Frederiksborg Castle Church already wearing the crown, where he was then anointed.

Since 1693, the castle church has been the chapel of the two Royal Orders of Chivalry in Denmark: the Order of the Elephant and the Order of Dannebrog.

Royal Events at Frederiksborg Castle Church

• June 7, 1671: Anointing of King Christian V and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel
• April 15, 1700: Anointing of King Frederik IV and his first wife Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
• May 1721: Anointing of Anna Sophie von Reventlow, second wife of King Frederik IV
• June 6, 1731: Anointing of King Christian VI and Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
• September 4, 1747: Anointing of King Frederik V and his first wife Louisa of Great Britain
• July 8, 1752: Wedding of King Frederik V and his second wife Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and anointing of Juliana Maria
• July 31, 1815: Anointing of King Frederik VI and Marie of Hesse-Kassel
• June 28, 1840: Anointing of King Christian VIII and his second wife Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein
• November 18, 1995 – Wedding of Prince Joachim, son of Queen Margrethe II, and his first wife Alexandra Manley

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederiksborg Slot – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiksborg_Slot> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederiksborg Slotskirke – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiksborg_Slotskirke> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
• Danish National History Museum. 2021. Frederiksborg Castle – Frederiksborg. [online] Available at: <https://dnm.dk/en/frederiksborg-castle/> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Coronation of the Danish monarch – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_the_Danish_monarch> [Accessed 29 August 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederiksborg Castle – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiksborg_Castle> [Accessed 29 August 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Fredensborg Palace Church, located in Fredensborg Palace, is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. Fredensborg Palace, located on Lake Esrum in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand in Denmark, is the spring and autumn residence of the Danish Royal Family. It was originally built as a hunting lodge for King Frederik IV between 1719 – 1722 on the site of a farm that he owned. Originally, no church was built at Fredensborg Palace because it was intended as a summer residence. When King Frederik IV was in residence the court clergy conducted services and the palace staff attended the parish church in Asminderød.

When King Frederik IV began to use Fredensborg Palace on a more permanent basis, the original architect Johan Cornelius Krieger began to expand the palace. His plans included a palace church in Dutch Baroque style which was consecrated in 1726. The palace church is in the wing that branches off the eastern side of the palace (‘B’ in the photo above). It is connected to the main palace by the original Orangery.

The altarpiece, baptismal font, and pulpit were made by Danish sculptor Johan Frederik Ehbisch. Hendrik Krock, a court painter during the reigns of Frederik IV and Christian VI, did the painting The Last Judgment that hangs over the altar. Today’s church interior appears much the same as it did in 1726.

As a part of Fredensborg Palace, Fredensborg Church is at the disposal of the Danish monarchy. Since the reign of King Christian IX, the Asminderød-Grønholt parishes have used Fredensborg Church as a parish church and services, christenings, and weddings are often held there. The palace church has been the site of weddings, christenings, and confirmations for members of the Danish Royal Family, beginning with the 1761 confirmation of Princess Sophia Magdalena, daughter of King Frederik V, later Queen Consort of Sweden. Most recently christenings and confirmations of Queen Margrethe II’s grandchildren have been held there.

Royal Events at the Fredensborg Palace Church

Wedding of Princess Benedikte and Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

• June 21, 1761 – Confirmation of Princess Sophia Magdalena, daughter of King Frederik V
• April 18, 1762 – Confirmation of Princess Wilhelmine Caroline, daughter of King Frederik V
• November 4, 1764 – Princess Louise, daughter of King Frederik V
• May 27, 1870 – Confirmation of Princess Thyra, daughter of King Christian IX
• December 16, 1874 – Confirmation of Prince Valdemar, son of King Christian IX
• December 13, 1893 – Funeral of Prince Wilhelm of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderborg-Glücksborg, brother of King Christian IX
• September 14, 1900 – Christening of Prince Knud, son of King Christian X
• November 7, 1915 – Confirmation of the future King Frederik IX and his brother Prince Knud, sons of King Christian X
• November 23, 1922 – Wedding of Princess Dagmar, daughter of King Frederik VIII, and Jørgen Castenskjold
• September 8, 1933 – Wedding of Prince Knud, son of King Christian X, and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, daughter of Prince Harald and granddaughter of King Frederik VIII
• October 1944 – Funeral of Prince Gustav, son of King Frederik VIII
• April 1, 1955 – Confirmation of the future Queen Margrethe II
• March 20, 1959 – Confirmation of Princess Benedikte, daughter of King Frederik IX
• March 24, 1961 – Confirmation of Princess Anne-Marie, daughter of King Frederik IX
• February 3, 1968 – Wedding of Princess Benedikte, daughter of King Frederik IX, and Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
• May 28, 1981 – Confirmation of the future King Frederik X, son of Queen Margrethe II
• June 10, 1982 – Confirmation of Prince Joachim, son of Queen Margrethe II
• November 6, 1999 – Christening of Count Nikolai of Monpezat, son of Prince Joachim, grandson of Queen Margrethe II
• July 1, 2007 – Christening of Princess Isabella, daughter of King Frederik X, granddaughter of Queen Margrethe II
• May 18, 2013 – Confirmation of Count Nikolai of Monpezat, son of Prince Joachim, grandson of Queen Margrethe II
• April 1, 2017 – Confirmation of Count Felix of Monpezat, son of Prince Joachim, grandson of Queen Margrethe II
• May 15, 2021 – Confirmation of Crown Prince Christian, son of King Frederik X, grandson of Queen Margrethe II
• April 22, 2022  – Confirmation of Princess Isabella, daughter of King Frederik X, granddaughter of Queen Margrethe II

Christening of Princess Isabella in 2007

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Fredensborg Slotskirke – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredensborg_Slotskirke> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Fredensborg Palace – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredensborg_Palace> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
• Mehl, Scott, 2015. Fredensborg Palace. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/fredensborg-palace/> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
• No.wikipedia.org. 2021. Fredensborg slottskirke – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredensborg_slottskirke> [Accessed 26 August 2021].
• The Danish Monarchy. 2021. Fredensborg Palace Church. [online] Available at: <https://www.kongehuset.dk/en/news/fredensborg-palace-church> [Accessed 26 August 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Once a Roman Catholic church, the Church of Our Lady (Vor Fruen Kirke in Danish) is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The original name of the church was St. Mary’s Church but during the Protestant Reformation, the name was changed to the Church of Our Lady, keeping the reference to the Virgin Mary without using “Saint”. There has been a church on the site since the 12th century, however, the church has been destroyed by fire three times and rebuilt three times. The present church was built in the early 19th century in the neoclassical style. The Church of Our Lady received cathedral status in 1922 and was designated as Denmark’s national cathedral in 1924.

• Official Website: Church of Our Lady

In 1314, the first church was destroyed in a fire and subsequently, a new church was built of brick. Around 1416, Copenhagen became the capital of the Kingdom of Denmark when Eric of Pomerania (Eric III, King of Norway, Eric VII as King of Denmark, Eric XIII, King of Sweden), moved his seat of power in Denmark to Copenhagen Castle, and the Church of Our Lady, then still called St. Mary’ Church, became the main church of the Kings of Denmark. When the University of Copenhagen was established in 1479, the church’s dean became rector of the university, the church’s canons were the university’s teaching staff, and the court school was the first premises for the university. Today, the campus of the University of Copenhagen is adjacent to the Church of Our Lady.

The second church suffered from the consequences of the Protestant Reformation. The great majority of the citizens of Copenhagen opted to follow the teachings of Martin Luther. However, the Roman Catholic clergy at St. Mary’s Church attempted to keep the church as a center of Catholic resistance. The king at that time was Frederik I, the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Although Frederik remained Catholic, he was somewhat tolerant of the new Protestant Lutheran religion. He ordered that Lutherans and Roman Catholics share the same churches. This decree incensed the majority Lutheran segment of Copenhagen’s population. On December 27, 1530 hundreds of citizens stormed the St. Mary’s Church, destroying every statue and dismantling the choir stalls. The seventeen altars were stripped of jewels and gold and destroyed, as were reliquaries, vestments, and other church furnishings. In 1531, the name of the church was changed from St. Mary’s Church to the Church of Our Lady and officially started to use the Lutheran order of worship.

The devastating four-day-long fire that started on October 20, 1728, destroyed a third of Copenhagen including the second church. When the church tower fell, the roof and all the furnishings in the church were demolished. Even the coffins in the crypt were smashed. By 1738, the third church was completed. The tower was 395 feet/120 meters high and was visible miles away from Copenhagen. By contrast, the current tower is only 193 feet/60 meters high.

In September 1807, the third church was destroyed during the bombardment of Copenhagen by the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The British demanded the surrender of the city of Copenhagen and the Danish-Norwegian fleet. Kings at this time were Kings of both Denmark and Norway. The Danes refused and for three days the British royal navy bombarded the city. Royal Navy gunners used the tower of the church for target practice, setting it on fire, resulting in the church being burned to the ground, along with nearby sections of Copenhagen. Copenhagen surrendered and the Danish-Norwegian fleet was turned over to the British.

The fourth and current version of the Church of Our Lady was designed by the architect Christian Frederik Hansen in the neoclassical style and was completed in 1829.  The fourth church has a tower although the neoclassical style did not include towers. The citizens of Copenhagen demanded a tower and one was built modeled on the older medieval tower.

Sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen was commissioned to decorate the interior with statues of Jesus Christ and the apostles. Thorvaldsen also carved and donated the baptismal font as a personal gift. Other artists also contributed sculptures and paintings

Royal Events at the Church of Our Lady

Wedding of King Frederik X and Mary Donalson in 2004

• April 9, 1363 – Wedding of Queen Margrethe I of Denmark and King Haakon VI of Norway
• October 28, 1449 – Wedding and coronation of King Christian I and Dorothea of Brandenburg
• August 12, 1537 – Coronation of King Christian III
• August 20, 1559 – Coronation of King Frederik II
• August 17, 1596 – Coronation of King Christian IV
• November 23, 1648 – Coronation of King Frederik III
• May 14, 2004 – Wedding of King Frederik X and Mary Donaldson
  • Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Frederik X and Mary Donaldson

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Vor Frue Kirke (København) – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vor_Frue_Kirke_(K%C3%B8benhavn)#F%C3%B8rste_kirkebygning> [Accessed 23 August 2021].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady,_Copenhagen> [Accessed 23 August 2021].
• Vor Frue Kirke – Københavns Domkirke. 2021. Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady) In English. [online] Available at: <https://koebenhavnsdomkirke.dk/english> [Accessed 23 August 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

The Three Christiansborg Palaces

Christiansborg Palace Chapel, part of Christiansborg Palace, belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, sometimes called The Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. Christiansborg Palace, located on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark, was once a royal residence but now it is a government building. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Several parts of Christiansborg Palace are still used by the Danish monarch and the royal family, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel, and the Royal Stables.

• The Danish Parliament: The History of Christiansborg Palace
• The Danish Monarchy: Christiansborg Palace

Prior to the three Christiansborg Palaces that have been on the site, there were two other castles. Absalon’s Castle was built in 1167 by Absalon, a Roman Catholic archbishop and statesman. The castle was demolished in 1370 when King Valdemar IV was defeated in a conflict with the Hanseatic League, who ordered the castle to be demolished. After the demolition of Absalon’s Castle, Copenhagen Castle was built and completed in the late 14th century. Originally Copenhagen Castle was the property of the Bishop of Roskilde until King Eric VII took over the rights to the castle in 1417. Copenhagen Castle then became the principal residence of the Danish kings and the center of government. In 1731, Copenhagen Castle was demolished to make room for the first Christiansborg Palace.

The first Christiansborg Palace was commissioned by King Christian VI in 1733. Most of the palace complex was completed in 1745 and it was the largest palace in northern Europe at the time. The palace and chapel were destroyed by a fire in 1794.

After the 1794 fire, the Danish royal family lived at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. The second Christiansborg Palace was started in 1803. By the time the palace was finished in 1828, King Frederik VI decided he did not want to live there and he only used the palace for entertainment. King Frederik VII was the only monarch to live there, between 1852 – 1863. The second Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1884, however, the riding school, the court theatre, and the palace chapel were saved. The ruins remained for twenty-three years due to political fighting over the plans for a third Christiansborg Palace.

The third Christiansborg Palace was built from 1907 – 1928, with premises for the Parliament and the Supreme Court and royal reception rooms for the Danish royal family to be used for official functions of the monarch such as banquets, state dinners, the New Year’s levée, diplomatic accreditations, audiences, and meetings of the council of state.

Christiansborg Palace Chapel

The history of the Christiansborg Palace Chapel goes back to the first palace. The palace chapel was not in the palace itself but rather in a separate building connected to the palace by a walkway. Architect Nicolai Eigtved designed the interior of the chapel in the Rococo style. The new palace chapel was consecrated on Sunday, November 27, 1740, and was then used for the regular services for the palace’s many residents and for the large services that accompanied anniversaries and events of the royal family.

On February 26, 1794, a fire broke out in a chimney in the Crown Prince’s rooms in the main wing. The fire spread over the next few hours, and a large crowd attempted to save the castle and its valuable contents and also the surrounding neighborhoods. The palace and the palace chapel were destroyed and 70-80 people were killed.

 
The interior of the Christiansborg Palace Chapel

Originally the entire palace chapel was to be razed, however, it was decided to rebuild the palace chapel on the site of the previous palace chapel using a large portion of the original exterior walls and partitions. Architect Christian Frederik Hansen was responsible for the reconstruction and transformed what remained of the first palace chapel into a neoclassical building with a dome. The work began in 1813 and was completed in 1826. The new palace chapel was consecrated at a service on May 14, 1826, as part of the 1000th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in Denmark.

The second fire at Christiansborg Palace occurred on October 3, 1884. Although the second Christiansborg Palace had firewalls, iron doors, and firefighting equipment installed, the building had many spaces through which the fire could spread. The fire spread along the main wing and the east wing, and after a while, the firefighters gave up trying to save the palace and instead concentrated their efforts on saving the palace chapel and the riding arena complex. Both the palace chapel and the riding arena complex were saved.

On June 7, 1992, the palace chapel roof caught fire from fireworks set off during the Whitsun carnival. The roof burned, the dome collapsed, and a substantial part of the interior was destroyed. There were no architectural drawings for the dome and roof construction, but systematic building archeological work using the charred building parts made it possible to recreate the dome and roof construction. Historically correct construction methods were used throughout the reconstruction process. After the restoration, the Christiansborg Palace Church was rededicated on January 15, 1997, in connection with Queen Margrethe II‘s Silver Jubilee.

Royal Events at Christiansborg Palace Chapel

The christening of Crown Prince Christian, son of King Frederik X, grandson of Queen Margrethe II in 2006

• 1746 – Lying in state of King Christian VI
• 1752 – Lying in state of Louisa of Great Britain, Queen of Denmark
• 1765 – Confirmation of the future King Christian VII
• 1766 – Lying in state of King Frederik V
• October 1, 1766 – Wedding of King Christian VII and Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales
• November 8, 1766 – Proxy wedding of Princess Sophia Magdalena (daughter of Frederik V) and the future Gustav III, King of Sweden
• 1767 – Anointing of King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark
• 1770 – Lying in state of Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen of Denmark
• 1784 – Confirmation of the future King Frederik VI
• 1785 – Confirmation of Princess Louise Augusta (daughter of Christian VII)
• May 27, 1786 – Wedding of Princess Louise Augusta (daughter of Christian VII ) and Friedrich Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
• 1826 – Confirmation of the future King Frederik VII
• November 1, 1828 – Wedding of the future King Frederik VII and Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark (daughter of Frederik VI)
• 1835 – Confirmation of the future King Christian IX
• 1860 – Confirmation of the future King Frederik VIII and his sister Princess Alexandra, the future Queen Consort of the United Kingdom (children of Christian IX)
• 1870 – Christening of the future King Christian X
• December 21, 1878 – Wedding of Princess Thyra (daughter of Christian IX) and Crown Prince Ernst August of Hanover
• 1887 – Confirmation of the future King Christian X and his brother Prince Carl, the future King Haakon VII of Norway (children of Frederik VIII)
• 1891 – Confirmation of Princess Louise (daughter of Frederik VIII)
• 1894 – Confirmation of Prince Harald (son of Frederik VIII)
• 1896 – Confirmation of Princess Ingeborg and Princess Thyra (daughters of Frederik VIII)
• August 27, 1897 – Wedding of Princess Ingeborg (daughter of Frederik VIII) and Prince Carl of Sweden
• 1904 – Confirmation of Prince Aage and Prince Axel (sons of Prince Valdemar, grandsons of Christian IX)
• 1904 – Confirmation of Prince Gustav (son of Frederik VIII)
• 1906 – Lying in state of King Christian IX
• 1908 – Confirmation of Prince Erik (son of Prince Valdemar, grandson of Christian IX)
• 1908 – Confirmation of Princess Dagmar (daughter of Frederik VIII)
• 1912 – Lying in state of King Frederik VIII
• 1930 – Confirmation of Princess Alexandrine-Louise (daughter of Prince Harald, granddaughter of Frederik VIII)
• 1934 – Confirmation of Prince Gorm (son of Prince Harald, grandson of Frederik VIII)
• 1935 – Confirmation of Prince George Valdemar (son of Prince Axel, grandson of Prince Valdemar)
• January 22, 1937 – Wedding of Princess Alexandrine-Louise (daughter of Prince Harald, granddaughter of Frederik VIII) and Count Luitpold of Castell-Castell
• 1937 – Confirmation of Prince Flemming (son of Prince Axel, grandson of Prince Valdemar)
• 1947 – Lying in state of King Christian X
• 1972 – Lying in state of King Frederik IX
• 2000 – Lying in state of Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark
• 2006 – Christening of Crown Prince Christian (son of Frederik X, grandson of Margrethe II)
• 2018 – Lying in state and funeral of Prince Henrik (born Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, husband of Margarethe II)

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christiansborg – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiansborg> [Accessed 20 August 2021].
• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christiansborgs brand 1884 – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiansborgs_brand_1884> [Accessed 20 August 2021].
• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Christiansborg Slotskirke – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiansborg_Slotskirke> [Accessed 20 August 2021].
• Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Kongelige bryllupper – Wikipedia, den frie encyklopædi. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kongelige_bryllupper#Danmark> [Accessed 20 August 2021].
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• The Danish Parliament. 2021. The History of Christiansborg. [online] Available at: <https://www.thedanishparliament.dk/en/christiansborg-palace/the-history-of-christiansborg-palace> [Accessed 20 August 2021].