Description of the attraction
St. Bendt's Church is located in the center of Ringstead. It is the oldest brick church in all of Scandinavia. It was completed in 1170 and was previously part of a large Benedictine monastery that was burned down in 1806. Also, this church is one of the most important royal tombs - about 8 Danish kings are buried here, as well as their wives and children.
It is known that as early as 1080, a small chapel made of calcareous tuff known as travertine stood on this site. It was originally consecrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1157, King Knud Lavard of Denmark was reburied here, insidiously killed by the rebels. Soon there were rumors about the miraculousness of his relics, pilgrims poured into the church, and the prestige of this place greatly increased. This is how the tradition of burying subsequent Danish monarchs in this church was born. In 1170, a Benedictine monastery arose around the cathedral, and the temple was consecrated anew - this time in honor of the founder of the monastery, St. Benedict of Nursia.
The appearance of the temple is typical of the Romanesque architectural style. It is a powerful structure in the shape of a cross, over which a monumental bell tower rises. Subsequently, minor details of the already Gothic style were added - for example, the ceilings were decorated with graceful vaults, and small arcades were made at the top of the bell tower. In general, the appearance of the church has remained unchanged since the completion of its construction at the end of the 12th century. Only in 1806, due to a terrible fire that destroyed the entire monastery complex, it was necessary to rebuild the western portal of the temple. It is made in the dominant at that time Empire style.
From 1899 to 1910, a large-scale reconstruction of the cathedral took place - the first of its kind in all of Denmark. The church was restored to its Romanesque appearance, and its bell tower was crowned with a bright pyramid-shaped spire.
As for the interior decoration, the oldest part is the baptismal font of 1150, made of sandstone. The choir benches were made of oak in 1420, the pulpit was completed in 1609, and the main altar dedicated to the Last Supper was completed in 1699. The "visiting card" of the church is its ancient frescoes made in the XIV-XV centuries. They depict both scenes from the Bible and portraits of various Danish kings buried here.
