Leonhard Blasius
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Leonhard Blasius (also spelled Lennart, Leinert, Lineest) (died 8 December 1644) was a Danish
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
in the service of King Christian IV.


Biography

Blasius, who was certainly a Dutchman, probably arrived in
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 ...
from the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
where he first worked in
Glückstadt Glückstadt (; ) is a town in the Steinburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the right bank of the Lower Elbe at the confluence of the small Rhin river, about northwest of Altona. Glückstadt is part of the Hamburg ...
, Holstein, in the 1630s. He was called to Copenhagen in 1642 where he became a master builder, taking over the responsibilities of Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger."Leonhard Blasius"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
As royal architect to Christian IV, Blasius was credited for major building works, mainly churches, which were carried out by the king. He managed the construction of St. Anna Rotunda and in 1641 commenced the expansion of the Church of Holmen. In 1643, Blasius worked on Reberbanen in Copenhagen, built a bridge in Altona and rebuilt a church in Glückstadt. His contribution to Trinitatis Church and the adjoining Rundetårn (1643) may have been in the last period of construction. He was sent to
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
in 1644 to lead a restoration on fortifications but died on 8 December. Although Blasius did repair work on the king's castles (1641 Koldinghus and Nygård, 1642 Tranekær, 1644 Nyborg Castle), his main effort was with churches. However, it is unclear whether Blasius had a decisive influence on their style, nor is he remembered for designing any buildings of his own. Blasius was married to Hedvig Gierritz who survived him; they had children together.


References

1644 deaths Danish architects Year of birth unknown {{Denmark-architect-stub