Sankt Ols Kirke (St Olaf's Church), also known as Olsker Church, is a 12th-century

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 ...

located in the village of Olsker, south of Allinge on the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

. Built in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

and reaching three storeys high, it has from the beginning consisted of a round nave, a choir 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 ' ...

History

Like Bornholm's other medieval churches, Sankt Ols was built in the 12th century. It was named after the revered King Olaf II of Norway who fell at the

Battle of Stiklestad The Battle of Stiklestad (; ) in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway () was killed. During the pontificate of Pope Alexander III, the Roman Catholic Church declared Olaf a saint ...

in 1030. In 1378, it was documented as "Ecclesia sancti Olaui" (Church of St Olaf). The church first belonged to the Archbishopric of Lund, then came under the Danish crown at the time of 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 ...

. In the 19th century, it became fully independent.Otto Norn, C. G. Schultz, Erik Skov, "Svaneke kirke"
Danmarks Kirker, Bornholm, ''Nationalmuseet'', Gad, 1954, pp. 335–362.

Architecture

The highest of Bornholm's four round churches, rising 13 metres from its base to the top of the conical roof, the church is built of local granite fieldstone with limestone door frames. Standing on a hilltop at a height of 112 metres above sealevel, it was built as a stronghold to defend the surrounding area. The openings in the wall on the upper storey were designed for shooting or throwing stones at the enemy. There was also a platform with a parapet which was used for defensive purposes. The church was also equipped with a hanging gallery, supported on beams projecting from the walls of the round tower."Olsker Kirke, Sankt Ols Kirke, Allinge, Bornholm"
''Arkark.dk''. Retrieved 9 July 2012. The structure consists of a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

and a central column bearing the upper floors. The height of the cylindrical nave, 13 metres, is almost exactly the same as that of

Østerlars Church Østerlars Church (''Østerlars kirke'') is a historic building located just north of the village of Østerlars, south of Gudhjem on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. It is the largest and, possibly, the oldest of the island's four round churche ...

. There are small extensions from the nave into the small choir and tiny apse. The central column provides solid support for the first two storeys but is more slender in the loft where it bears the more recent roofing. The porch is probably medieval while the two buttresses to the west were added in 1825 to guard against collapse. The bell tower dates from the end of the 18th century. Restoration work was carried out in 2004 by Nils-Holger Larsen.

Interior

During restoration work in 1911 and 1950–52, frescos were discovered in the nave and choir from at least three different periods, the oldest from the 14th century. They were however in very poor condition, especially in the nave. The early Renaissance pulpit dates from the first half of the 16th century. In the 18th century, it was decorated with paintings of the evangelists and angels. The fairly recent oak gallery is unpainted. The new organ was built by Axel Starup.

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 Church, Nylars Church and Østerlars Church. They are all architecturally impressive buildings with a number of common features.

Gallery

Olsker-kirke-2003-b.jpg, Choir and apse Olsker Kirke 6.JPG, Romanesque door Olsker Kirke 4.JPG, Porch Ols Kirche, Bornholm (2012-07-04), by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia (13).JPG, Frescos

References