| Jesus Church | |
|---|---|
 Jesus Church seen from across the street | |
 Jesus Church | |
| 55°39′55″N12°31′19.5″E / 55.66528°N 12.522083°E /55.66528; 12.522083 | |
| Location | Kirkevænget 5b 2500, Valby,Copenhagen |
| Country | Denmark |
| Denomination | Church of Denmark |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Vilhelm Dahlerup |
| Style | Historicism |
| Completed | 1895 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 50 m |
| Width | 17.5 |
| Height | 52 m (campanile) |
| Materials | Brick |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Diocese of Copenhagen |
TheJesus Church (Danish:Jesuskirken) is achurch situated just offValby Langgade in theValby district ofCopenhagen,Denmark. It was commissioned by second-generationCarlsberg brewerCarl Jacobsen and designed byVilhelm Dahlerup. Noted for its extensive ornamentation and artwork, it is considered to be one of the country's most idiosyncratic and unconventional examples of church architecture. The church was built as amausoleum for Carl Jacobsen and his family and is located close totheir former house as well as the formerCarlsberg brewery site. Theirsarcophagi lie in the crypt. Throughout the church, there are ornaments and inscriptions associated with the family.
Jacobsen's father,J. C. Jacobsen, had decided to bequeathGammel Carlsberg to theCarlsberg Foundation. On his death, Carl Jacobsen received a sum of 1,000,000Danish kroner. In 1883, he and his wife Ottilia decided to divide the money into four equal amounts, creating four "Ny Carlsberg Grants". The first of these was the "Ny Carlsberg Church Grant" that was to fund the creation of a new church in Valby within 10 years.[1]
Jacobsen had already acquired the land in 1879 and in 1882 he assigned Vilhelm Dahlerup to the project. He requested a church which would "surpass all other churches in Copenhagen in beauty", specifying that it should be in the style of early Christianbasilica architecture as seen inItaly andFrance.
The sum proved inadequate but, thinking more about art than money, Carl Jacobsen continued the project regardless. On completion of the work, the costs had exceeded the original budget fourfold.[1]
Construction of the church was begun in 1884 and it was consecrated on 15 November 1891. However, thecampanile was not added until 1894–95 as a birthday present from his mother.
The church's designer,Vilhelm Dahlerup, certainly the leading Danish architect of the period, is remembered for hishistoristic style whereby he created new buildings on the basis of older, classical examples.[2] There were, however, rather precise instructions on how the Jesus Church should be designed. In particular, Jacobsen provided Dahlerup with a number of photographs of the old churches and artwork inRavenna,Italy, as an example of the ornate style he wished to see copied in Copenhagen. Dahlerup was also inspired byNotre-Dame la Grande inPoitiers,France, and by thesynagogue in Toledo, Spain.[3]
The church is indeed designed in the classic style of an earlybasilica with a campanile or detachedbell tower. For theDanish Lutheran community, its style and rich ornamentation were rather unconventional, prompting a fair amount of criticism at the time. At one point, Carl Jacobsen was described by his own priest as afreethinker, unready to follow the trends and the dogma of the day.[1]
Unusually, the church is oriented along a north–south axis with the altar at the southern end. It is built as a basilica with a triangular chancel, topped by a nonagonal dome with a pyramidal spire. The campanile tower stands close to the north-east corner of the church.[4]
The main facade is dominated by three largearches, resting on two heavy granitecolumns with characteristictwin capitals leading into theportico. Above the arches, thepediment has intricate ornamentation. In the corners are thefour Evangelists' symbols:Mathew'sangel to the lower left,Mark'slion on the upper left,John'seagle on the upper right,Luke'sox on the lower and at the very top in the centre, a naked Jesus leaning against a cross. The centre of the pediment boasts arose window, the largest of its kind in Denmark, composed of cathedral glass in yellow, red and green nuances supported by cames of lead. It has a diameter of 4.5 meters.
Measuring 1.7 meters in diameter, the cast bronzeclock face weighs 261 kg. The surroundingstar made up of two triangles is made of massivewrought iron bars, weighing 900 kg.
The rear southern side of the church boasts twocolumns and an arch with carved symbols of theZodiac. It rests on the heads of theGreen Man and theHorned God. The top of the arch bears across with an opposite pentagram representing the "Brewer Star", a favoured Carlsberg Breweries symbol. This side of the building also features aniche with a cast bronze sculpture of theGood Shepherd.
The nave is flanked by two aisles with galleries borne by eleven pillars on each side. The arches above the galleries are supported by five pillars. The windows behind the galleries are decorated with glass paintings designed by C. N. Overgaard.[4]
Thealtar features apentagram. Under the ceiling in the altar chamber runs afrieze depicting inter aliaGodfrey of Bouillon and otherTemplar symbols as well asJohn the Baptist andMary Magdalene at the feet of the cross of thecrucified Jesus. The church also contains 12glass mosaics, one of which depicts ahornedMoses. The most conspicuous statement in the church is the inscription "You are Christ" painted on the arch leading into the altar chamber.
The chancel is divided into three tiers. The columns rising from the ground bear a gallery with a frieze by Stephan Sinding, Christ among the church's martyrs, fathers and reformers, while windows and sculpted angels decorate the dome above.[4]
On the gallery stands the organ built by the famous French organbuilderAristide Cavaillé-Coll. The font, designed by Jerichau, is in the shape of a shell. Water trickles into it down a cliff, between the angels of Faith and Hope.
The chancel also contains a memorial to the Jacobsen family, The Angels of Life and Death, the work ofPietro Tenerani based on a sketch byThorvaldsen. There is also a memorial plaque in the chancel for Jacobsen and his wife Ottilia.[4]
The pulpit, a replacement designed byMogens Bøggild, was installed in 1934.
The church was built as amausoleum for Carl Jacobsen and his family. In the crypt below the church stand the family'sSarcophages. The campanile also commemorates the Jacobsen family. The four bells in the belfry are each named after one of Carl's four children who died in infancy: Alf, Beatrice, Thorvald and Erland.
The circular flowerbed in front of the church bearsJerichau'scrucifix. It replaces a copy ofMichelangelo's sculptureMoses from the churchSan Pietro in Vincoli in Rome that was transferred to theCarlsberg Glyptoteque. Adjacent to the crucifix but just outside the church's perimeter, Jacobsen placed the sculptureTroll that smells Christian blood depicting a fierce-looking troll reaching out for the crucifix. As thetableau proved too controversial for theparish, it was quickly moved to the Glyptoteque garden. In 2002, the church tried to recover the sculpture, but the Glyptoteque would not part with it. A copy was therefore made and placed just in front of the church in its proper place.
