Østermarie Church, Østermarie, Denmark

Østermarie Church was originally built in the early 13th century. While it was being demolished in 1890, it was discovered it was of considerable architectural interest and work was stopped. The new church from 1891 is also in the Romanesque style.

The new church was built on the place where the old church tower once stood. The architect was Andreas Clemmensen who was involved in the design of Christiansborg Palace. Built in the Romanesque style, it consists of a tower, nave, chancel and apse together with two cross pieces. The outer wall is granite from the nearby Paradis quarry.

The rear wall of the altar is topped by seven candles in a seven-armed candlestick. The limestone font (ca. 1250), in late Romanesque style, comes from Gotland. The pulpit has four carved panels in oak from 1593. In the northern cross arm, there is an epitaph to Jens Kofoed, popularly credited with the liberation of Bornholm from the Swedes in 1658. The cross below the chancel arch, added during the church's restoration by the architect Rolf Graae in 1964, is the work of Paul Høm, a local artist.

References:

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Religious sites in Denmark

User Reviews

Erik B (2 years ago)
It's a beautiful church, like all other churches on Bornholm but this one was special because it has the ruins of an older chirch next to it. There was no one when I went there. Two people were cleaning the grounds and later one elderly man came and also walked around the church.

Patrick Janoud (3 years ago)
Worth the visit!

Lora Nielsen (5 years ago)
I felt as if I was visiting one of the old cathedrals in Ireland ( I have indeed visited such in Ireland). This was one very peaceful experience, without the big crowds of tourists we were meeting in other tourist attractions on Bornholm. The church and its graveyard (made like a beautiful flower park) were just the perfect place to be in silence. Half round, half square church (unlike the completely round churches in the area). We did not go inside the church since we got caught up in the wow effect of the garden. Wish more graveyards around Europe looked the same peaceful way as this one.

Firica Alina (5 years ago)
It is a very pretty piece of Danish history that everyone should visit.

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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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