Undløse Church
| Undløse Church Undløse Kirke |
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Undløse Church
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| Coordinates: 55°36′21″N 11°34′57″E / 55.60583°N 11.58250°E | |
| Location | Undløse |
| Country | Denmark |
| Denomination | Church of Denmark |
| History | |
| Founded | Late 1100s |
| Founder(s) | Hvide |
| Dedication | Lawrence of Rome |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Functional |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Fieldstone, brick |
| Administration | |
| District | Northern Zealand |
| Division | Holbæk |
Undløse Church (Danish: Undløse Kirke) is located in the village of Undløse some 17 km (11 mi) southwest of Holbæk in northern Zealand, Denmark. The original part of the Romanesque church derives from the late 12th century. The church is noted for its early 15th-century frescoes and for its elaborate Baroque altarpiece and pulpit, both woodcuts by Abel Schrøder.
The church, dedicated to Lawrence of Rome, belonged to the Hvide family and was under Absalon's jurisdiction. There is extensive documentation from the 12th century of transactions between Undløse and Sorø Abbey. The Roskilde cadaster from 1370 lists the taxation schedule for Undløse Church. Correspondence from 1357 to 1492 documents the early pilgrimages to Undløse and the various related religious ceremonies, all encouraged by a nearby sacred source. An indulgence communication from 1421 refers to the consecration of altars to Our Lady, St Lawrence and St Catherine. In 1441, the Bishop of the Faroes consecrated a chapel and altar to St Olaf and, in 1492, a letter mentions an altar to St Anne. In 1687, the church came into the ownership of Valdemar Christoffer Gabel (1650–1725), whereafter it was the property of Kongsdal until it became fully independent in 1910.
The original design was 12th-century Romanesque in raw and hewn fieldstone but substantial additions and replacements in a combination of brick and fieldstone were made in the Late Gothic period, leaving only the walls of the nave from the former structure. The three-sectioned, cross-vaulted ceiling is from the beginning of the 15th century. In the early 16th century, the porch and tower were added while the chancel and the apse were demolished and replaced with a considerably longer Gothic chancel, probably to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims. A sacristy on the north side of the chancel was also added in the late Catholic period. The north door was bricked up around 1400 while the south door remained in use. The two most westerly windows on the south wall, part of the original building, have been preserved but were renovated in 1957. Those on the north wall were enlarged in 1663.
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Wikipedia