Ny Vor Frue Kirke

Did you ever wonder what a church looks like when it tries to emulate a cathedral? Ny Vor Frue Kirke in Roskilde provides a charming answer. From the outside, Ny Vor Frue Kirke appears deceptively modest. The red brick structure with its small spire stands atop Tyrbakke hill, the only high point for miles around. The church, designed by architect Professor Hans J. Holm, was consecrated on Palm Sunday in 1907. The church’s true grandeur is revealed only upon entering. The whitewashed, cruciform-vaulted interior creates a sense of spaciousness. At the eastern end stands the altar, crafted from red stone and the distinctive local building material, limestone. A large gilded cross adorns the altar’s front. Two pillars, each topped with circular candle holders, flank it. Many original fixtures enhance the interior. These include the pulpit and pews, crafted during the church’s construction. Elegant chandeliers, commissioned by ministerial resolution after the church’s completion, add to the ambiance. The priest’s chair, a gift from the residents of Frue Sogn and Sct. J Jørgensbjerg, commemorates Pastor Meyrling’s jubilee. Ny Vor Frue Kirke also houses treasures from its older sister, Gl. Vor Frue Kirke. These artifacts, transferred in 1907, include late Gothic candlesticks from around 1550. There is also a High Gothic crucifix from 1500-1550, and a baptismal font carved in oak around 1700, its basin of German origin from approximately 1550. Other relics include the altar chalice, a composite of pieces from 1550 and 1695. There is also the communion wafer box from 1721 and the baptismal ewer from the same year. A memorial tablet embedded in the north wall above a bricked-up door honors citizens of Vor Frue who perished in the war of 1848-50. On the same wall hangs the ship “Ocean Aalborg.” It was built by Henrik Vilhelm Bang, an officer in the Greenlandic merchant fleet, and gifted to the church in 1924. But perhaps the most unique treasures of Ny Vor Frue Kirke are the numerous Hedebo bonnets. These were collected and donated to the church at its consecration. After suffering damage in a minor fire, the bonnets were stored away for many years. In the mid-1990s, they were meticulously restored and re-hung, with the National Museum overseeing the restoration and advising on the display. These bonnets, part of the renowned Hedebo needlework tradition, once complemented the elegant Hedebo costumes. Their presence in Ny Vor Frue Kirke offers a glimpse into the region’s rich heritage. Finally, on February 6, 2022, a priest’s board crafted by sign painter Hans Jørgensen was unveiled, further enriching the church’s story.