Vester Egede Church

Vester Egede Church (Danish: Vester Egede Kirke) is a Danish parish church in the Diocese of Roskilde, Faxe Municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand. It is located some 10 km (6.2 mi) due west of Faxe. Today's building dates from 1876 although there is evidence of an earlier church on the site, probably built during the Romanesque period.[1]

Vester Egede Church
Vester Egede Church
Vester Egede Church in Zealand
55°15′57″N 11°57′46″E
DenominationChurch of Denmark
History
DedicationEvangelical Lutheran
Administration
PresbyteryDiocese of Roskilde

History and architecture

The earliest documented reference to the church is from around 1370 in the Bishop of Roskilde's Taxation Book.[1] A letter from 1672 bestowed ownership of the church on Hans Schack. A royal resolution of 1689 further granted ownership to Schack's descendants as long as the nearby estate of Gisselfeld remained in their possession. The church came into independent ownership in 1914.[2]

The interior

The original nave with a porch and tower was completely rebuilt by the architect Theodor Zeltner in 1876.[3] The most obvious evidence of earlier Romanesque origin is the font. A tower at the western end of the church was built during the Gothic period as evidenced by its foundations.[1] During reconstruction, the nave was extended 12 feet (3.7 m) to the east and its height was also increased. The building now stands with undecorated walls and a tiled roof. Inside, both the old and new masonry has been plastered.[2]

Interior

The cross vault dates from the reconstruction in 1876. The pulpit is from 1863. The altarpiece from 1859 contains a plaster cast of Bertel Thorvaldsen's Christ. On the north wall of the tower room hangs a consecration cross from the Middle Ages. The granite font is probably from the Romanesque period. It displays a relief of "Luxuria", a woman standing on her head, nurturing a winged dragon and a lion.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Vester Egede kirke", Nordens Kirker. (in Danish) Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  2. "Vester Egede Kirke", quoted from Danmarks Kirker, Nationalmuseet, 1933–1935. (in Danish) Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. Trap, Jens Peter; Falbe-Hansen, Vigand; Westergaard, Harald (1898). Kongeriget Danmark: bd. Frederiksborg, Kjøbenhavns, Holbaek, Sorø og Praestø amter. 1898. G. E. C. Gad. p. 890. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
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