Remember the 17th of March 1974. That was the day Vangede Kirke was consecrated. The Vangede Kirke stands as a testament to modern Danish church architecture. It is located in Vangede a suburb north of central Copenhagen.
The Vangede Kirke wasn’t the first church in Vangede. A church hall was set up in a villa in 1918. A church was inaugurated in a former bathing building in 1926. It belonged to a school that had closed. By 1961, population growth made a new church necessary.
Johan Otto von Spreckelsen designed the current Vangede Kirke. Construction took place from 1972 to 1974. Spreckelsen would later design the Grande Arche in Paris. Tue Poulsen a ceramic artist also contributed. He designed the altar, cross, font and pulpit.
The Vangede Kirke is built of red brick. It consists of two square rooms. These rooms are connected lengthwise at the corners. Each square has a triangular indentation. This creates a unique interior space in Vangede Kirke. The design subtly evokes medieval churches. It has a division into chancel and nave. Smaller buildings adjoin the church to the south and east. To the north is a parish building. Southwest of the church stands a free-standing bell tower. The tower is made of steel and glass.
Entering from the west, you first encounter the smaller room. It connects to the larger room or chancel. Here stand the altar, font, and pulpit. The organ is on the chancel’s east wall. This placement evokes traditional altarpieces.
Inside Vangede Kirke, materials define the space. Walls are large unbroken surfaces of red brick. The ceiling is white-painted concrete. It features large coffered patterns. Skylights illuminate the otherwise windowless church room. They are in the corners of the two rooms.
The organ was built by Th. Frobenius and Sons in 1979. It has 40 registers. It is set in a black wrought iron frame. Its placement resembles an altarpiece. The altar is in the middle of the church room.
Outside Vangede Kirke, you’ll find a slender bell tower. It is a free-standing campanile. It houses three church bells. Brødrene Anker Hasle ApS constructed the tower.
A small wooden figure stands in the church’s northern corner. It depicts Christ and the four evangelists. H.W. Bissen is believed to have created it. It comes from the temporary Vangede Kirke. A black lacquered aluminum Christ figure is in the small church hall. Harry W. Holm designed it.
Notably, students from Bakkegårdsskolen and Busses Skole are confirmed here. The Vangede Kirke continues to serve the community. It is a place of worship and gathering. It embodies modern Danish design.