St. Peter's Church, Næstved, Denmark

St. Peter's Church is first mentioned in a monasterial letter from 1135. Built of red brick, it is one of Denmark's largest and finest Gothic buildings, scarcely altered since 1375. The chancel, with its five tall windows, is particularly impressive. The current Gothic church replaces an older Romanesque cross-shaped building built of limestone and brick from the second half of the 12th century. This in turn was built on the site of an even older stone church with two western towers.

The church's most famous mural painting is on the north wall of the chancel. It depicts Valdemar IV and Queen Helvig. There are other wall paintings in the church which have not been uncovered since they were coated with limewash after the Reformation.

The most imposing feature of the church is the pulpit, designed by Lorentz Jørgensen of Holbæk in 1671. Two rows of choir stalls and a bronze font date back to about 1500. The altarpiece is headed by a late-Gothic arched crucifix from 1844. The church also contains a number of gravestones and epitaphs dedicated to the families of Næstved.

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Jan Hus Memorial

The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.

Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.

Lotte E. (9 months ago)
I was lucky that the church was open when I happened to pass by. Got to see the inside of the beautiful church for the first time, helped by a couple of very nice and knowledgeable church guards who gave a nice tour.

Nadja Houmøller (2 years ago)
Beautiful and large church

Oscar Lund Sønderby (3 years ago)
Den er virkelig flot. Helt klart en tur hver.

Tom Vanggaard (3 years ago)
Super

Dennis Koch Larsen (3 years ago)
?❤️

St. Peter's Church

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