St. John's Church, Copenhagen

St. John's Church
St. John's Church
55°41′31″N 12°33′43″E / 55.69194°N 12.56194°E / 55.69194; 12.56194Coordinates: 55°41′31″N 12°33′43″E / 55.69194°N 12.56194°E / 55.69194; 12.56194
Location	Nørrebro, Copenhagen
Country	Denmark
Denomination	Church of Denmark
Architecture
Status	Church
Architect(s)	Theodor Sørensen
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1856
Completed	1861
Specifications
Height	54 m
Materials	Brick
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Copenhagen

St. John's Church (Danish: St. Johannes Kirke) is a church located next to Sankt Hans Torv in the heart of the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Opened in 1861, it was the first church to be built outside the city's old fortification ring when it was decommissioned and new residential neighbourhoods sprung up outside the former city gates.

The decommissioning of Copenhagen's Bastioned Fortifications was a gradual and prolonged process. They had long been under pressure from the fast-growing city and the British bombadement in 1807 during the Battle of Copenhagen showed they had become outdated. By 1850 a decision had still not formally been taken but in 1852 the Demarcation Line, which heavily restricted the access to build within a certain zone outside the fortifications, was confined to the area inside the Lakes, and in 1855 the new times were further anticipated with the demolition of the Northern City Gate.

In 1861 construction of St. John's Church began on land provided by the city on the old Blegdam Common. The architect was Theodor Sørensen who had recently graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

The new church was consecrated on 25 August 1861 at a ceremony attended by King Frederik VII. Incidental music in the form of a cantata with text by Bernhard Severin Ingemann and music by Emil Hartmann was performed at the event.