Church of Our Lady

The Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke) is Copenhagen's cathedral, a severe neoclassical building from 1829 facing the old university. Its claim to fame is the interior: a long nave lined with Bertel Thorvaldsen's monumental marble sculptures of Christ and the Twelve Apostles, among the most iconic works of 19th-century European sculpture. The white marble figures fill the church with a cool, calm presence.

The Christ figure behind the altar — arms outstretched, head bowed — is the original of a type that has been reproduced in churches worldwide; Thorvaldsen considered it his masterpiece. The Apostles line the nave, each with a distinctive pose and attribute. Entry is free. It is the single most important interior in Copenhagen for figurative sculpture, and well worth 20 minutes even if churches do not normally interest you.

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A story
During the bombardment of Copenhagen by the British Navy in 1807 — unprovoked by Denmark, which was neutral — a shell landed directly in the Church of Our Lady and destroyed the medieval building entirely. The British fleet fired on the city for three days to prevent the Danish fleet from falling into Napoleon's hands. Around 300 civilians died. The rebuilt neoclassical church, completed in 1829, contains Bertel Thorvaldsen's most famous sculptures.

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