IMAGINE having to dig your way into church. A couple of hundred years ago, the good people of Skagen, in Denmark, at the northern tip of the Jutland peninsula, faced that very challenge. The north of Denmark is home to migrating sand dunes, and one of these had gradually engulfed their church, St Lawrence’s, so that the congregation were regularly forced to plough their way through the sand in order to get in.
Eventually, it was decided to bow to the inevitable, and, in 1795, the church was closed. All that remains today of the “buried church”, as it is now known, once the largest in the area, is its Lego-like whitewashed brick tower and red-tile roof, surrounded by stunning sand dunes. “A colossal gravestone, visible for miles,” Hans Christian Andersen described it, after his 1859 visit.
St Lawrence’s is the second church on our campervan tour of Danish churches. Our first port of call, the cathedral in the city of Roskilde — located an hour west of Copenhagen, on the Danish island of Zealand — is a cathedral unlike any other: a colossal twin-spired, brick-built Gothic affair, out of all proportion to the small cityscape around it.
Until 1443, Roskilde had been the Danish capital. Its cathedral, consecrated in 1225, was the Westminster Abbey of its day, and, as such, the resting place of 40 Danish kings and queens. The various side chapels, added at later times and displaying a variety of European architectural styles, boast row upon row of ornate royal tombs, securing the building UNESCO World Heritage status.
The splendidly monikered Sweyn Forkbeard (King of Denmark 986-1014; King of the English for five weeks; King of Norway from 1000, and father of Cnut), and Forkbeard’s father, Harald Bluetooth (who united Scandinavia and lent his name to a digital interconnection technology), are thought to have been buried in an earlier church on the site, where multitudes of King Frederiks and King Christians now lie silently side by side. There’s even an empty tomb awaiting Margrethe II, who has just abdicated. When the time comes, she will be laid to rest in a glass sarcophagus atop three sculpted elephants.
Clive WillsThe author’s campervan on its tour of coastal churches
After leaving Zealand to drive up the eastern, Baltic coast to Skagen’s buried church (the coastline home to innumerable lighthouses, huge skies and dramatic light), we drive south down the western, North Sea coast, passing numerous implausibly large churches (appearing to sit in the middle of nowhere, or in seemingly insignificant towns), all boasting gleaming white towers in what appears to be their bid to dominate the surrounding countryside.
After 200 miles, we reach the third church on our itinerary: Ringkøbing Church. Built in the early 15th century, Ringkøbing’s brick exterior sits happily in the midst of the market town, the tower serving as a local landmark. Inside, a board displays the names of its pastors through the years, including, much to our delight, a friend’s grandfather. The nave is roofed by two vaulted ceilings, from one of which hangs a huge model sailing ship commemorating Ringkøbing’s previous significance as a port (in the 13th century, it was the only harbour town on the west coast).
There’s a place here for modernity, too. The church is one of more than 25 in the country containing artworks by the artist Arne Haugen Sørensen, one of Denmark’s most productive religious artists: a colourful altarpiece depicting the resurrection, and an altar table and font on a striking blue glass pedestal.
After a further 70 miles south, we reach the most northerly point of the shallow Wadden Sea, a 300-mile-long conservation area thick with wading birds. We cycle part of the coastline, delightedly spotting avocets galore, while inland, in the distance, stands the dominating tower of Ribe Cathedral.
Established by Vikings in the 700s, Ribe is Denmark’s oldest town. Strategically situated, it became a royal residence and major port over the centuries, but much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1580. Rebuilding followed, but Ribe entered into a genteel decline, and was bypassed by progress.
Progress’s loss is tourism’s gain: the medieval centre’s cobbled streets and half-timbered houses ooze 16th-century character. Ribe Cathedral, completed in 1134 and the oldest in Denmark, is also the only one to possess five naves, and is unmissable in the centre of town.
istockRibe Cathedral, with its brick tower, offers not only the best view of the surrounding countryside, but can also be seen for miles
The cathedral itself combines Romanesque and Gothic styles. It was constructed mainly of German tufa (a type of limestone), and once had a pair of ornate towers. After one of these collapsed on Christmas Day 1283, however, it was replaced by a brick-built construction, offering stupendous views of Ribe and the surrounding landscape.
Ribe Cathedral survived a fire in 1176, as well as the 1580 conflagration. It also came through a terrible flood in 1634, in which thousands were drowned. Its batterings help us to see how the cathedral has been augmented down the centuries. One of the doors bears a magnificent 12th-century relief of Jesus being taken down from the cross, and there’s a beautiful copper font from the early 1400s. Like Ringkøbing, it has a model votive sailing ship suspended from the ceiling.
In the 1980s, the celebrated Danish artist Carl-Henning Pedersen (known as the “Scandinavian Chagall”) was commissioned to decorate the apse of this beautiful cathedral. He adorned it with colourful frescoes, seven immense mosaics, and five stained-glass windows. These alone make it well worth a visit.
The cathedral ranks among Denmark’s most popular destinations for tourists, thanks to its range of architectural styles and artistic traditions. As if that wasn’t enough, on the day we step inside, we are bathed in a flood of kaleidoscopic sunlight. We start our drive home on an absolute high.
Clive Wills is the author of the book Unintended Consequences: Or why do bad things happen to good decisions? (Iff Books, 2020).
Travel details
We took the Eurotunnel from Folkestone, hit the motorways of Northern Europe, then took a ferry from Puttgarden, Germany, to Rodby, a small port on one of Denmark’s many islands. Direct Ferries and Scandlines run ferries on this route.
We brought our own van from the UK, but companies in Denmark who hire out campervans include: cooldrive-nomad.com/en/camper-rental/denmark/copenhagen; indiecampers.com/rent-an-rv/denmark
Skagen’s buried church: opdagdanmark.dk/en/oplevelser/tilsandede-kirke;
enjoynordjylland.com/north-jutland/plan-your-trip/den-tilsandede-kirke-sand-buried-church-gdk695262
Ribe Cathedral: ribe-domkirke.dk.
Ringkøbing Church: ringkobingkirke.dk
Roskilde Cathedral: roskildedomkirke.dk