Haslev Church () is a church located in the town of

Haslev Haslev is a railway town in the southern part of the island of Zealand, Denmark, located about southwest of Copenhagen. It has a population of 12,634 (1 January 2025), and is the largest town and municipal seat of Faxe Municipality in Region Z ...

, Diocese of Roskilde,

Faxe Municipality Faxe Municipality () is a '' kommune'' in Denmark in the Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand. The municipality covers an area of 406 km2 and has a population of 37,820 (2025). Its mayor as of January 2018 is Ole Vive. He is a member o ...

Region Sjælland Region Zealand () is an administrative region of Denmark. It is one of the five classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Denmark. It was established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional ...

on the Danish island of

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

. The oldest parts of the church were built in the 12th century but today's structure is the result of its rebuilding in 1916.

History

The first church in Haslev was probably a wooden structure built in the 11th century although nothing remains of it today. In the 12th century,

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

was used to build a small church, long and wide, with a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

and an

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. Its foundations were discovered during the reconstruction work from 1914 to 1916."Haslev kirke i fortid og nutid"
Haslev Kirke. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
, ''Nordens Kirker''. Retrieved 19 April 2013. In the 13th century, the building was extended to the west. The apse was removed and the chancel was extended to the east. The rounded window on the north side dates from this period. During comprehensive rebuilding in the 14th century, the width was extended to 9 metres and a new roof with three

cross vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Lau ...

s was added, meeting the prevailing standards. At the beginning of the 15th century, a new stepped gable was built at the eastern end, a

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

was added to the north and a porch to the south, reflecting the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

of the times. The tower, high, was added in the mid-14th century while a chapel was built on the north side at the end of the century. Haslev Kirke by J

In 1870, Haslev became a railway town, attracting many new inhabitants. The architect H. Lønborg-Jensen planned an extension that consisted of building a new church that crossed transversely through the old one. The old church thus became a parallel aisle in the new cross-shaped structure and the old chancel became the east entrance. The new building with seating for 641 and an altar to the south was consecrated on 2 April 1916.

Interior

The carved wooden pulpit from 1579 is one of the oldest in Denmark. In 1967 it was restored and repainted by the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

. The canopy came later in 1640. The old decorated pews from the mid-16th century have been preserved. The seats decorated with the arms of the counts of Bregentved are particularly impressive. The organ, with 36 stops, was built in 1978 by Poul Gerhard Andersen, one of the leading organ builders of his day. The font, completed in 1935, was built in accordance with plans prepared by the church's architect Lønborg-Jensen.

Burials

* Frederik Urne (1601-1658),

lensmann in modern Norwegian or in Danish and older Norwegian spelling (; ) is a term with several distinct meanings in Nordic history. The Icelandic equivalent was a . Fief-holder The term traditionally referred to a holder of a royal fief in Denmark ...

(inside the church) * Peter Cecilius Davidsen (1866-1935), educator * Frede Halleløv (1887-1969), architect * Johannes Juul (1887-1969), engineer and inventor * Vilhelm Møller-Christensen (1903-1988), medical doctor, and medicinal historian

References

External links

Haslev Church website
{{commonscat, Haslev Kirke Churches in Faxe Municipality 12th-century churches in Denmark Churches in the Diocese of Roskilde Gothic architecture in Denmark Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism

History

Interior

Burials

See also

References

External links