Østerlars Church (''Østerlars kirke'') is a historic building located just north of the village of Østerlars, south of

Gudhjem Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. Its population is 736 (1 January 2024). Gudhjem is a popular venue for tourists who are attracted by its steep, picturesque streets, views ...

on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. It is the largest and, possibly, the oldest of the island's four

round church A round church is a church with a completely circular plan, thus a rotunda in architectural terms. There are many Nordic round churches in Sweden and Denmark (notably the island of Bornholm); round churches were popular in Scandinavia in the ...

es.Østerlars kirke. From Nordens kirker.
In Danish. Retrieved 3 December 2009.Østerlars kirke. From NaturBornholm
. In Danish. Retrieved 3 December 2009.

History

Built around 1160, it consists of an apse, an oval chancel, a large round nave and has three storeys. There is evidence the church was once fortified, the top storey serving as an open shooting gallery. The church is dedicated to

St Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...

(Latin: Laurentius, Danish: Lars). The building is one of Denmark's oldest Romanesque churches. On the basis of coins dated 1157 found in the floor, the date of construction was probably around 1160. The

fieldstone Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...

wall stands on foundations of Bornholm limestone. The double-arched apse bears similarities to that in

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral () is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepiscopal see of all ...

. The round nave has an external diameter of 16 meters. In its centre there is a large round hollow column, six meters wide. An opening leads into a small room, known as the oven, inside the column. Retrieved 3 December 2009. Originally there were small Romanesque windows but these were enlarged 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 ...

. During the 16th century, a number of

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 were added to support the outer wall. The conical roof was replaced in the 17th century. The porch is from 1870. The bell tower stands separately from the church in the churchyard; the tower was the original entrance and gate tower. There are two

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

s, one inside the porch (c. 1100) and another outside (c.1070).

Decorations and furnishings

The church's central column is decorated with frescos or kalkmalerier from 1350 showing biblical scenes from the Annunciation through to the Passion, ending with Day of Judgment where Jesus judges mankind. Many of the naked figures are sent to hell, symbolized by a huge dragon. They were probably painted some 140 years after the church was built. The frescos, which had been hidden with limewash since the Reformation, were uncovered in 1882. They were first restored by Jacob Kornerup in 1889, then in 1960 by G.M. Lind. In 2005, the

National Museum of Denmark The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark, Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from S ...

carried out further restoration work. The pulpit is from 1595. The carved altarpiece is from c. 1600.

Bornholm's round churches

Bornholm is known for its four round churches built in the 12th and 13th centuries The other round churches on Bornholm are Nyker, Nylars and Olsker. They are all architecturally impressive buildings with a number of common features.

Gallery

Østerlars Kirke asv2024-07 img2.jpg, Aerial view of the freestanding tower and the church Østerlars Kirche, Bornholm (2012-07-06), by KLugschnacker in Wikipedia (11).JPG, Baptismal Oesterlarsfresco.jpg, Central column with frescos Østerlars Kirke grundplan tværsnit.jpg, Ground plan and cross section, alt=Grundplan og tværsnit

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osterlars Church Round churches Buildings and structures completed in 1160 12th-century churches in Denmark Churches in Bornholm Romanesque architecture in Denmark Fortified church buildings Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism

History

Decorations and furnishings

Bornholm's round churches

Gallery

See also

References