Bjernede Church, Sorø, Denmark

Bjernede Church is one of only eight round churches in Denmark and the only one of its kind on the island of Zealand. The present church was built in circa 1170 by Sune Ebbesen from the influential Hvide family who belonged to the circle around King Valdemar II. His father, Ebbe Skjalmsen, the uncle of Bishop Absalon, had previously built a wooden church at the site. The tower of Sune Ebbesen's round church contains a room which the Hvide family used as an assemblage hall.

The lower part of the church stands in granite while the upper part is made of brick, a relatively new material at the time which had only been used in Denmark since the 1140s. The inspiration for the design most likely came from Schlamersdorf Church in Wagria which Sune Ebbesen had visited several times as a military commander. Bjernede Church, Horne Church in Jutland and Thorsager Church on Funen are all built to the same floor plan as that of Schlamersdorf Church. Four interior granite columns support the roof structure. Theporch was built in about 1500 and the tower had previously been altered but was, between 1890 and 1892, changed back to its original design by Hermann Baagøe Storck.

Storck was later heavily criticized for his restoration work. Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint and Ivar Bentsen later made church projects which resembled Bjernede prior to Storck's intervention, when it had a Bishop's Hat-like roof. Storck's restoration came to mark a turning point in Danish restoration architecture which from then on applied a more sensitive approach to the restoration of historical buildings.

References:

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User Reviews

Peter Jensen (2 years ago)
Wow. Oh boy. I came by quite by chance via the Marguerite route and in that connection have seen several beautiful churches (including Elmelund with the beautiful frescoes), but Bjernede Rundkirke is probably the biggest gem among the many. It is unusual, beautiful and impressive all at once. I got an association with a low round tower with a porch on the side. It is significantly smaller than the larger round churches on Bornholm and especially with boulders at the bottom and bricks at the top. The overall impression inside really makes one look up at the sky. Up a narrow and steep spiral staircase it is possible to climb the tower and get a great view of Midtsjælland. The cemetery outside is also very beautiful and gives rise to good motifs of the church with beautiful flowers in the foreground. I am very, very excited about this experience and would recommend it to anyone who comes by.

Anita van Polanen (3 years ago)
One of the oldest surviving round churches. Very interesting church and nicely laid out cemetery. Closed on Mondays.

Andreas Drangsholt (4 years ago)
Hidden Pearl

Rebekka D. G. Hansen (4 years ago)
One of the few round churches on Zealand. Incredibly beautiful and worth a visit

Kenneth Bille (5 years ago)
Sending and different church. Memories of round churches and knights ... from the early Danish Middle Ages .. I was there out of season, was locked in anyway ...

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