Description of the attraction
St. Albani Church is a parish Catholic church located in the Danish city of Odense. It should not be confused with the medieval church at the monastery of Saint Albani, where King Knud IV was assassinated in 1086.
The first Catholic community since the Reformation in Odense, uniting clergy and laity, was organized in 1867 and consisted of twelve adults and seven children. For the first few years, Masses were held in a leased area, but in 1869 the community acquired a plot of land and founded the Church of St. Mary, a school for girls and the residence of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Later, another building was built, which housed a school for boys, as well as premises for clergy.
In 1899, the first monks of the Redemptorist Order returned from Austria and began raising funds for the construction of a permanent church, receiving significant contributions from Austria and Germany. The foundation of the new church was laid on October 21, 1906, and on October 25, 1908, the unfinished building was consecrated. The church was dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God, Saint Albani and Saint Knud.
The church has been and remains popular with immigrants, namely Germans and Poles, and recently there has been an increase in the number of Vietnamese Catholics.
The church was built in the neo-gothic style.
