Frederik's Church (), popularly known as The Marble Church () for its

rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

architecture, is an

Evangelical Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church in

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 ...

. The church forms the focal point of the

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V of Denmark, Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was in ...

district; it is located due west of

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family and is located in Copenhagen. Frederick VIII's palace complex has four identical Classical façades, effectively four palaces, with Rococo interiors, laid around an octagona ...

History and description

The church was designed by the architect

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754), also known as Niels Eigtved, was a Denmark, Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. ...

in 1740 and was along with the rest of

, a district of Copenhagen, intended to commemorate the 300 years jubilee of the first

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of a member of the

House of Oldenburg The House of Oldenburg is a Germans, German dynasty whose members rule or have ruled in Danish Realm, Denmark, Kingdom of Iceland, Iceland, Kingdom of Greece, Greece, Norway, Russian Empire, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, the United Kingdom, King ...

.Marble Church Copenhagen
- Copenhagen Tourist - Copenhagenet.dk. Retrieved 27 May 2012 Frederick's Church has the largest church

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

with a span of . Eigtved finished the drawings of the church around 1740, but his original design was much more pompous; the dome should have been significantly taller and rest on the exterior walls with a diameter of . The dome rests on twelve columns. The dome is roman baroque style with its curved, pompous expression and multiple fine details. It has gold window frames, multiple statues on the exterior walls and beautiful, colorful fresco inside the dome ceiling, which most likely is inspired by Peter's Basilica in Rome. The foundation stone was set by king

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: *Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) * Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble * Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick II ...

on 31 October 1749, but the construction was slowed by budget cuts and the death of Eigtved in 1754. A French architect,

Nicolas-Henri Jardin Nicolas-Henri Jardin (22 March 1720 – 31 August 1799) was a French architect. Born in St. Germain des Noyers, Seine-et-Marne, Jardin worked seventeen years in Denmark–Norway as an architect to the Danish royal court. He introduced neoclassic ...

, continued the construction from 1756 after revising the design and changing it to a more classical, marble church. In 1770, the original plans for the church were abandoned by

Johann Friedrich Struensee Count, Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish gov ...

. The church was left incomplete and, in spite of several initiatives to complete it, stood as a ruin for nearly 150 years. A few years later, when Struenesee lost his power and position, several ideas were created and considered in trying to make a modified construction plan for the church. Among these intellectual minds was C. F. Hardsdorff, a Danish architect and advocate for neoclassicism. In 1874,

Andreas Frederik Krieger Andreas Frederik Krieger (4 October 1817, Kolbjørnsvik – 27 September 1893) was a Danish politician, government minister, professor of law and supreme court judge. He was a member of the National Constitutional Assembly from 1848 to 184 ...

, Denmark's Finance Minister at the time, sold the ruins of the uncompleted church and the church square to

Carl Frederik Tietgen Carl Frederik Tietgen (19 March 1829 – 19 October 1901) was a Danish financier and industrialist. He played an important role in the industrialisation of Denmark as the founder of numerous prominent Danish companies, many of which are stil ...

for 100,000 rigsdaler — none of which was to be paid in cash — on the condition that Tietgen would build a church in a style similar to the original plans and donate it to the state when complete, while in turn he acquired the rights to subdivide neighboring plots for development. Tietgen, not only wanted the church to represent a folklore to The Royal House, but also as a great monument for the grundtvigianismen, created by Danish pastor and philosopher,

N. F. S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential p ...

. At the front entrance, at statue of Grundtvig was raised and the exterior walls around the church is also decorated with statues of important people from the Danish and international church history. The deal was at the time highly controversial. On 25 January 1877, a case was brought by the Folketing at the

Court of Impeachment A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts general ...

(), Krieger being charged with corruption over this deal. He was, however, eventually acquitted. Tietgen got

Ferdinand Meldahl Ferdinand Meldahl (16 March 1827 – 3 February 1908) was a Danish architect best known for the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Castle after the fire in 1859. Meldahl was one of the leading proponents of historicism in Denmark. Biography He was t ...

to design the church in its final form and financed its construction. Due to financial restrictions, the original plans for the church to be built almost entirely from marble were discarded, and instead Meldahl opted for construction to be done with limestone. The church was finally opened to the public on 19 August 1894. Inscribed in gold lettering on the entablature of the front portico are the words: HERRENS ORD BLIVER EVINDELIG (Danish: ''the word of the Lord endureth for ever'' –

1 Peter The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. The author presents himself as Peter the Apostle. The ending of the letter includes a statement that implies that it was written from "Babylon", which may be a reference to Rome. The ...

1:25,

KJV The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by ...

). A series of statues of prominent theologians and ecclesiastical figures, including one of the eminent Danish philosopher Kierkegaard (who, incidentally, had become very critical of the established church by the end of his life), encircles the grounds of the building. Frederik's church is a parish church, also known to be an Evangelical–Lutheran church, which is the national or most common church in Denmark. It also became a place for concerts, monument of the constitution, and a display of sculptor

Thorvaldsen Thorvaldsen is a surname. People with the name include: * Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844), Danish/Icelandic sculptor * Randi Thorvaldsen (1925–2011), Norwegian speedskater * Thor Thorvaldsen (1909–1987), Norwegian Olympic sailor * Unn Thorval ...

's works of art. Many people in Denmark call it the Marble Church instead of Frederik's Church due to its prominent feature of the marble dome. Today, Frederik's church stands as vast architectural monument in Frederiksstaden as a tribute to the roman baroque and Danish philosopher Grundtvig.

Architecture and notable features

File:Jardin elevation.jpg, Jardin's original plan for the church File:Jardin section.jpg, Cross-section of Jardin's church File:Frederikskirkens ruin ca 1875 by Budtz Müller.jpg, Ruins of the unfinished entrance ca. 1875 File:Frederiks Kirke comparison.png, Comparison between Jardin's (black) and Meldahl's (white) "Frederik's Church" File:Marmorkirken 2007 a.jpg, Front entrance File:Marmorkirken detalj.jpg, Exterior detail File:Marmorkirken Copenhagen lantern.jpg, Dome lantern File:Frederiks Kirke Interior.JPG, Interior File:Marmorkirken - dome interior.jpg, Dome interior File:Glassmaleri Marmorkirken.jpg, Stained glass window depicting an angel File:Marmorkirken interior - Copenhagen - DSC07829.JPG, The organ loft File:Marmorkirken - altar.jpg, Altar File:Marmorkirken - Hochaltar 4.jpg, Angel pointing at

Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within Christian liturgies descending from the historic Latin liturgical tradition, including those of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism. It is the name given to a spec ...

above the altar File:Stenhuggervasen.jpg, A memorial for the stone masons who were killed while building the church

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 55, 41, 6, N, 12, 35, 22, E, type:landmark_region:DK-101, display=title 18th-century churches in Denmark 18th-century Lutheran churches 19th-century Church of Denmark churches Church buildings with domes Churches in the Diocese of Copenhagen Lutheran churches in Copenhagen Rococo architecture in Denmark Tourist attractions in Copenhagen Zinc sculptures in Denmark Cultural depictions of N. F. S. Grundtvig