Bethlehem Church, Copenhagen
Encyclopedia
Bethlehem Church, located on Åboulevard, close to Peblinge Lake and the municipal border with Frederiksberg
, is a church in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint
made the first sketches for the church but after his death it was completed by his son, Kaare Klint, and built from 1935 to 1937. Its style is remniscient of Grundtvig's Church
, Jensen Klint's most famous work, which was also completed posthumously by Kaare Klint, although on a much smaller scale.
was charged with the design. He had already designed Anna Church
and the monumental Grundtvig's Church
in Copenhagen as well as Gedser Church
on the island og Falster
and St. Hans Tveje' Church in Odense
. Jensen-Klint also designed a congregation house close by which was completed in 1931.
After Jensen-Klint's death on 1 December 1930, Kaare Klint, his son, completed the design process based on his father's initial sketches. The church was built from 1935 to 1937 and consecrated on 13 February 1938 by the Bishop of Copenhagen.
and Brick Expressionism
.
above the altar
is inspired by the altar in the Church of the Nativity
in Bethlehem
. The canopy over the pulpit
is decorated with a Star of David
.
The church is the first church in Denmark to use individual chairs instead of benches. Designed specifically for the church, the chair later won great popularity, both for use in other churches and when it became commercially available for private homes.
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
, is a church in the Vesterbro district of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint
Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint
Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint was a Danish architect, designer, painter and architectural theorist, best known for designing Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen, generally considered to be one of the most important Danish architectural works of the time...
made the first sketches for the church but after his death it was completed by his son, Kaare Klint, and built from 1935 to 1937. Its style is remniscient of Grundtvig's Church
Grundtvig's Church
Grundtvig's Church is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best known churches in the city.- History :...
, Jensen Klint's most famous work, which was also completed posthumously by Kaare Klint, although on a much smaller scale.
History
Bethlehem Church is one of many churches in Copenhagen built by the Copenhagen Church Trust, founded in 1890 to collect money and build new churches in the rapidly growing Danish capital, and Peder Vilhelm Jensen-KlintPeder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint
Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint was a Danish architect, designer, painter and architectural theorist, best known for designing Grundtvig's Church in Copenhagen, generally considered to be one of the most important Danish architectural works of the time...
was charged with the design. He had already designed Anna Church
Anna Church, Copenhagen
Anna Church is a Lutheran church in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was designed by Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint, best known for his design of Grundtvig's Church, also in Copenhagen...
and the monumental Grundtvig's Church
Grundtvig's Church
Grundtvig's Church is located in the Bispebjerg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. Due to its unusual appearance, it is one of the best known churches in the city.- History :...
in Copenhagen as well as Gedser Church
Gedser Church
Gedser Church lies in the town of Gedser on the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster. It is the church of Gedser Church District, part of Skelby Parish...
on the island og Falster
Falster
Falster is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of 514 km² and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010. Located in the Baltic sea, it is part of Region Sjælland and is administered by Guldborgsund Municipality...
and St. Hans Tveje' Church in Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
. Jensen-Klint also designed a congregation house close by which was completed in 1931.
After Jensen-Klint's death on 1 December 1930, Kaare Klint, his son, completed the design process based on his father's initial sketches. The church was built from 1935 to 1937 and consecrated on 13 February 1938 by the Bishop of Copenhagen.
Architecture
The church building is integrated in the row of houses and the facade toward the street is built in red brick. Its style is strongly remniscient of Jensen Klint's other churches with elements from Gothic Revival architectureGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and Brick Expressionism
Brick Expressionism
The term Brick Expressionism describes a specific variant of expressionist architecture that uses bricks, tiles or clinker bricks as the main visible building material...
.
Interior
The three nave church room is relatively short and therefore appears strikingly high. All inside walls are clad in yellow brickwork.Furnishings
Kaare Klint designed all furnishings and fittings. All but the font are executed in light-coloured timber with a minimum of detail. The ciboriumCiborium (architecture)
In ecclesiastical architecture, a ciborium is a canopy or covering supported by columns, freestanding in the sanctuary, that stands over and covers the altar in a basilica or other church. It may also be known by the more general term of baldachin, though ciborium is often considered more correct...
above the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
is inspired by the altar in the Church of the Nativity
Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus it is considered sacred by Christians...
in Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. The canopy over the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is decorated with a Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
.
The church is the first church in Denmark to use individual chairs instead of benches. Designed specifically for the church, the chair later won great popularity, both for use in other churches and when it became commercially available for private homes.