Time traveling back to 1754 we find ourselves witnessing the construction of Vartov Kirke. It was built adjacent to the then Vartov hospital. This hospital was a care institution for the elderly and chronically ill.
Since the Reformation, the city of Copenhagen managed the hospital. The altar and pulpit were moved from an older church hall. They were combined when the current church was built. Private individuals donated bells candlesticks and altar silver at different times.
The original altarpiece by H. Krock now hangs over the baptismal font. The small paintings above the altar table also date from the 1700s. Vartov Kirke served as the institution’s church. This continued until the 1930s when the hospital moved. The hospital sought more modern facilities. However, the church was popular with people from outside the institution.
N.F.S. Grundtvig served as a priest here from 1839 to 1872. This period was especially significant. The baptismal font was a gift to Grundtvig. The congregation gave it to him on his 75th birthday in 1858. Chr. Borch from Norway created it. A shipbuilder from Southern Jutland donated the church ship. It is named ‘N.F.S. Grundtvig’ and was given in 1884.
During Grundtvig’s time, Vartov Kirke was always full. His hymns were used in services from the 1840s onward. After Grundtvig died in 1872 a large congregation continued to seek out Vartov Kirke. From 1891 it was organized as a free congregational society.
In 1920 the position of hospital priest was abolished. A choice congregation was formed. They bought the wing of Vartov where the church is located. They purchased it from the Municipality of Copenhagen. They established a parish hall and a rectory. Since 1947 the rest of Vartov has been owned by Grundtvigsk Forum. It frames Grundtvigian work. Niels Skovgaard’s granite statue of Grundtvig stands in Vartov’s courtyard. It was erected in 1932.
Since 1980 Vartov Valgmenighed has shared a pastoral community with Copenhagen Valgmenighed. Services alternate between Vartov Kirke and Immanuel Church. The times are announced online in the press and in the church magazine. The magazine is sent to members of both congregations.
Congregation meetings are held as lecture evenings. Church cultural and social topics are discussed. Each winter there is a study group led by the priest. Concerts are occasionally held in the Vartov Kirke. Today Vartov remains a vital center. It combines historical significance with ongoing community engagement.