Description of the attraction
The Church of the Virgin Mary is part of a large Carmelite monastery located in the city of Helsingor, also known as Elsinore. This monastery is one of the best preserved in all of Denmark. The church itself was built in the years 1450-1500.
This building is made of typical Danish red bricks. Its appearance is dominated by a predominantly Gothic style. It is worth noting the main nave of the temple, which is considered too high, even by Gothic standards. However, the church, like the preserved buildings of the monastery, underwent thorough reconstruction at the beginning of the 20th century.
After the Reformation in 1536, the abbey itself was closed and partially destroyed, the same fate awaited the Church of the Virgin Mary. However, they decided to keep it and use it as a warehouse and stables. Already in 1577, fortunately, the building was restored to its original function. Traditionally, the Church of the Virgin Mary served as the main "German" church, while St. Olaf's Cathedral remained in the bosom of the Catholic Church.
The German past of this church has been preserved in the form of inscriptions and epitaphs inside the building itself. Basically, the interior of the temple is designed in the Baroque style. Especially worth noting are the unique paintings on its walls and vaulted ceilings. By the way, the same old frescoes were discovered in 1992 inside other preserved monastery buildings, and now they are being carefully restored to preserve them.
Also in the church is an organ with a rich history - it has been preserved since 1636, although it was carefully renovated in 1997. It is known that one of the church organists was the famous composer Dietrich Buxtehude, one of the most famous organists even before Johann Sebastian Bach. He worked at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Helsingor from 1660-1668.
