St. Stephen's Church, Copenhagen
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| St. John's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| 55°41′48″N 12°32′40.5″E / 55.69667°N 12.544583°E | |
| Location | Nørrebro, Copenhagen |
| Country | Denmark |
| Denomination | Church of Denmark |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Ludvig Knudsen |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1874 |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 31 m |
| Materials | Brick |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Copenhagen |
St. Stephen's Church (Danish: Sankt Stefans Kirke) is a Church of Denmark parish church located at Nørrebrogade 199 in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Built in 1874 to designs by Ludvig Knudsen, it is the second oldest church in the district. The composers Knud Jeppesen and Jens Bjerre Jacobsen have both served as organists.
The first church in Nørrebro, St. John's, was completed at Blegdamsvej in 1861. The new St. John's Parish, which was disjoined from Trinitatis and Our Lady's Parishes, covered an extensive area which included all of Nørrebro and Østerbro and reached all the way to Hellerup and Brønshøj. The church's first pastor, Rudolph Frimodt, launched a campaign for more churches in the new districts of Copenhagen.[1]
In 1872, Frimodt arranged a meeting at Store Ravnsborg with the purpose of establishing a new church in the outer Nørrebro area. He ultimately managed to raise 34,000 Danish rigsdaler for the construction, 6,000 rigsdaler for a rectory and 10,000 rigsdaler for a trust that would pay the future pastor. Baron Løvenskjold, the owner of Kristinedal and Nykro, contributed a corner of his garden at the corner of Havremarksvej provided the site.[2]
It was decided to name the church after Saint Stephen, one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to poorer members of the community in the early church, reflecting the fire social conditions that characterized the outer Nørrebro area.
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The architect Ludvig Knudsen was charged with designing the church. The foundation stone was set on 18 June 1873 and the church was consecrated on 26 December (St. Stephen's Day) 1874. The two first pastors;mdash&Peter Volf and Ivar Dall;mdash&were both representatives of the Inner Mission.
The population of the new St. Stephen's Parish grew rapidly. In 1877, 800 children were born in the parish. In 1889, the number had grown to 1405. In 1890–1912, five new parishes were therefore disjoined from that of St. Stephen's: Holy Cross Parish (1890), Capernaum Parish (1895), Simon's Parish (1903), Kingo (1908) and Anna's Parish (1912).
Architecture
The church is built in red brick. It is 35 metres long and 14 metres wide. The tower stands 31 metres tall. It consists of an apsis, chancel and a long nave, terminating in a tower at the western end. Flanking the nave, there are large wooden galleries, supported by wooden pillars.[3]
The artist Johannes Kragh created a series of 20 new church windows for the church in connection with its 50 years anniversary in 1934. Each of the windows depict a figure with a glory, holding another glory ready for the one who will follow.