Svaneke Church is located in the small town of

Svaneke Svaneke (''Swencke'' in 1410, from old Danish ''swan'' swan and ''*wīka'' inlet) is a small town on the eastern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. It lies mainly in Svaneke parish and partly in Ibsker parish. It is Denmark's easte ...

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 ...

. It stands above the harbour at a height of 18 metres on the site of a small chapel which appears to have existed for quite some time before the town received its charter in the 16th century. The church was expanded over the years, the tower and spire being completed in 1789. In 1881, virtually the whole building was rebuilt by architect Mathias Bidstrup of

Rønne Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...

, leaving only the tower and a small section of the south wall.Otto Norn, C. G. Schultz, Erik Skov, "Svaneke kirke"
Danmarks Kirker, Bornholm, ''Nationalmuseet'', Gad, 1954, pp. 95–111.

History

In 1569, the church was referred to as the chapel of Svaneke. With 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 ...

, it moved from the Archbishopric of Lund to the Danish crown but is now self-governing. It was initially annexed to nearby

St Ib's Church St. Ib's Church (''Sankt Ibs Kirke'' or Ibsker), 3 km south-west of Svaneke on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm, is a fine 12th century Romanesque architecture, Romanesque building. The altarpiece was painted by Christoffer Wilhelm Ecke ...

Architecture

The church was renovated and extended in 1881, leaving only the nave's late Gothic southern wall, the western gable and the lower floor of the more recent tower. The older stonework was built of granite. There are traces of the old porch which was demolished in 1837. The tower, also built of granite, was probably built during the 16th century. The belfry is of half-timbered oak finished in red brick. Today's octagonal spire, dating from 1789, still stands today although it had to be repaired in 1905 after being struck by lightning. In 1881, under the direction of Mathias Bidstrup, the church was expanded and renovated. The northern and easters walls of the nave were demolished and the church was extended to the east, ending in an apse. These alterations were completed in brick. Large arched windows and a new ceiling were installed. As today, the exterior was finished in red-washed walls. The weather vane on the tower depicts a swan, representing the arms of the town.

Artefacts and furnishings

The Baroque-styled pulpit is from 1683. The current organ was installed in 1955. The church now has seating for 300."Svaneke Kirke"
''Dansk kirkehistorie''. Retrieved 8 July 2012. The wooden altar dates from the 1881 restoration while the carved altarpiece contains a painting from 1882 signed by A. Dorph. The old chandelier dates from 1673 while the church bell from 1701, displaying an image of a swan, was cast by Daniel Hinrich Grædener and Arendt Torkuhl. Image:Svaneke kirke taarn.jpg, Church tower Image:Svaneke kirke alter.jpg, Altar Image:Svaneke kirke doebefont.jpg, Font Image:Svane kirke praedikestol .jpg, Pulpit Image:Svaneke kirke skibet.jpg, Interior

References

{{Bornholm Denmark Churches in Bornholm

History

Architecture

Artefacts and furnishings

See also

References