Doesn’t the name Aa Kirke sound unique? This church boasts a history as rich as the Bornholm soil it stands upon. Aa Kirke is one of Bornholm’s oldest and largest churches. It has been a cornerstone of Aakirkeby since the Middle Ages.
Aa Kirke got its name from the two rivers surrounding it. These are the Læså and Grødby å.
Let’s step back to the mid-12th century. Aa Kirke was erected then. It initially went by the name Skt Hans Church. This was because it was dedicated to St John the Baptist. The unusual twin towers once dominated the town’s skyline. The towers and nave hold many stories within their walls. They deserve closer inspection.
Aa Kirke held a vital role as Bornholm’s main church. It was intentionally placed inland at a crossroads. Here, roads converged. It was not far from the king’s stronghold, Lilleborg. Clergy gathered annually at Aa Kirke. They met for the landemode. This annual meeting continued into the 1700s.
Inside Aa Kirke, the baptismal font is a highlight. Dating back to around 1200, it was crafted by the Gotland-master Sigraff. Its rune inscriptions make it invaluable to Denmark.
Aa Kirke has undergone changes throughout the centuries. In 1874, a restoration reshaped the church. The port tower and arcade walls were torn down. This gave the church its present form. Another preservation effort occurred in 1968.
The churchyard also holds stories. The old graveyard is no longer used for burials. However, many old gravestones remain.
Aa Kirke’s construction unfolded in phases. It began in the latter half of the 1100s. The oldest parts are the chancel and apse. The lower sections of the nave also date back to this time. Notice the light greenish sandstone. Also see the dark rust-brown shale in the walls. Both were sourced nearby from Grødby å.
The western end of the nave and the tower came later. They are made of Silurian limestone from Læsåen. This stonework displays a coarser style.
Both the men’s door to the south and the women’s door to the north are preserved. The women’s door has been transformed into a window. Yet you can still see the care in its details from outside.
The tower has been expanded. It now measures 13 x 11 meters. It stands 22 meters tall.
The church’s interior is spacious and bright. It features a flat wooden ceiling. In Gothic times, the chancel received a vault. The vault rests upon four square corner pillars.
In 1706, a zealous priest buried a gilded wooden figure. This figure represented St. John. Some Catholic prisoners of war had invoked the saint.
Even well into the 1800s, people often called Aa Kirke the Chapter Church. This was due to Lund’s cathedral chapter having patronage rights until 1658. The altar cloth holds two medallions. These display the chapter’s two seals. One features its patron saint, St. Lawrence. He is with the gridiron. The other shows just the gridiron alone.
Aa Kirke stands as a testament to Bornholm’s history. It is a place where echoes of the past resonate. Take a moment to appreciate its enduring presence.