Roskilde Cathedral

This past week has been one of those generally bothersome weeks when I remember that I am, in fact, here in Denmark to study. But sometimes my classes actually add to my adventures. My Danish Language and Culture class went on a field trip on Wednesday to Roskilde Cathedral, about half and hour outside of Copenhagen.

This is not a particularly clear picture, but you can see one of the chapels - the domed roof.

The first Roskilde Cathedral was constructed by Harald Bluetooth in the 11th century. But it was made out of wood, and thus does not exist today. The cathedral that exists today is an amalgamation of styles. It started out as a Romanesque church by bishop Absalon, was modified with gothic elements by another bishop about 20 years later, and experienced a complete renovation after the Protestant Reformation when Denmark changed from a Catholic to a Lutheran Protestant country.

Nowadays, it is particularly famous because all the Danish kings and most of the queens since the Reformation are buried at Roskilde. The last one was King Frederik* IX, who died in 1972. His grave is outside the cathedral itself, but earlier royals are buried in little chapels tacked along the sides of the building. The styles differ dramatically too, ranging from Medieval to Neo-Classical.

Some nifty murals in the Chapel of the Magi, which has Christian I

The very Neo-Classical Chapel, which has Christian VI and the unfortunate Christian VII. Things didn't go well for Christian VII - Denmark has a very colorful royal history. It has one of the oldest monarchies in the world, after all. 

Altarpiece. Note the 1970s era refurbished base. 

The best part of Roskilde Cathedral has got to be the clock. It is made of wood, and has moving parts. Every hour, the dragon makes a screaming noise and moves forward, and the wooden man hits the bell with a hammer to ring the hour. 

The dragon sound is actually a bit terrifying if you're not expecting it. 

Anyway, tomorrow I'm leaving for a school trip to Sweden and Denmark. I hope to come back with more photographs! I've already been here for almost six weeks - it's astounding how time flies. 

*All Danish kings are either named Frederik or Christian. It is helpful and confusing at the same time.