Denmark has a good number of lovely old, partly Romanesque country churches (especially on Møn island), and then also its good share of more imposing spire-crowned urban cathedrals, but Roskilde's is hands down the most beautiful and elegant you can visit in the country.

I reached the old capital Roskilde, the seat of the gritty bishop Absalon (traditionally considered the founder of Copenhagen) in the XIIth century, at the beginning of August 2021, as a day trip from Copenhagen. This can be done very easily by train, which goes there in less than an hour, as there are frequent connections from Copenhagen's stations, and furthermore this route is covered by the Copenhagen Card. Once there, it is a pleasant short walk through the town centre, passing by the main square and its old city hall: it won't be much before you'll see the massive, towery shape of the cathedral rise over the other buildings. It sits atop a hill, free-standing in its own square, dominating the rest of the town, with a panorama towards the fjord. Its appearance is majestic indeed; its austere and maybe overdimensioned façade is counterbalanced by the beguiling variety of its body, characterised by the volumes of the different chapels.

The cathedral

One of the main reasons for its inscription is the significance it has as the burial place of most, if not all, Danish sovereigns: this becomes even more remarkable considering that the Danish monarchy is the second most ancient (after Japan's, if I'm not mistaken) and uninterrupted royal lineage in the world, tracing its origins back to Gorm of Jelling in 980. I think this can be felt in the solemnity of the interior, where the visitor can take a sort of time travel from scant Medieval traces and traversing Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism up to contemporary architecture: the latest addition is the tomb of Frederick IX, built outside of the cathedral in 1985. The value of this complex is heightened still by the fact that everything remains harmonious. The next "extension" is already in place: the glass coffin of Margrethe II waits in the chapel of St. Brigida, currently concealed in colourful cubes. I was not sure if I should find this a little bit macabre or simply serene, but this seems to be the Danish way. Anyway, history goes on!

The tomb of another Margrethe, the first, de facto queen in XIV-XVth century, lies in the choir and is probably the centrepiece of the cathedral. Speaking of legendary Danish historical figures of the Middle Ages, keep an eye for the slab and the commemorating writing on the wall for Saxo Grammaticus, in the left nave: he was the first Danish historian in XIIth century and has passed on, among other things, the story of Amled, now better known as Hamlet. The chapel that impressed me the most is that of Christian IV: it is exuberant both on the outside (you will notice it immediately with its Dutch baroque style) and on the inside, where later decorations added a statue and two heroic paintings of the sovereign. Unfortunately, I was short of time when visiting the chapels of the Magi at last, but it's also extraordinary. Another highlight for me was the view from the gallery above. On top of this, in the apse you will find an overview of the Danish royal lineage detailing the more eminent personalities, and from the gallery you can access a small, old-fashioned exhibition about the church per themes.

Historical digressions

As per its nomination file, the importance of Roskilde's cathedral goes much more beyond being a shrine of Danish royalty. It was one of the most important centres of political and spiritual power in Northern Europe once Christianity had firmly established itself in the region. It probably started as a humble wooden churches, but then over time became the brick colossus that we admire now. I'm somewhat confused by all the claims about it being the oldest (from XIIth century), or largest, or more important, since travelling the region I heard similar thing based on different clauses for nearly any other important brick-gothic church, e.g. St. Mary in Lübeck, not to say that the largest of all brick churches seems to be in Albi. But let's agree that Roskilde's is very old and very important, and this tangibly contributes to its charm. Later on, I was surprised to learn that even Saint Dominic, opposer of heresy, came twice here from Spain in the XIIth century, attesting that Roskilde's cathedral was not a peripheral, secondary centre as one may think with regard to its geographical position.

As mentioned before, Roskilde was for some time the capital of Denmark, displacing the even older capital Lejre, some 10km to the south-west, before being displaced itself by the rising mercantile star of Copenhagen. It seems anyway that Sjælland has always been the key to power. There's an interesting parallel with Viking ring fortresses here: the foundation of Roskilde around its church (most probably by Sweyn Forkbeard after 1000 and not Harald Bluetooth, who had already built enough in his time) seems to have followed a similar plan of creating centres through which to administer royal power around the realm, namely Lund (nowadays in Scania, Sweden), Odense on Fyn and Viborg in Midtjylland (not so distant from Fyrkat in Hobro). Remarkably, Odense (eclipsing Nonnebakken) is a common element, but all these places appear to have been chosen as they were places of worship: e.g. Odense's name comes from Odins vi 'Odins sanctuary', Roskilde from Roars kilde 'Roar's spring', and in fact there have always been sacred springs in the area, some of which can still be seen in the byparken 'town park' stretching downhill from the cathedral towards the fjord. And these settlements are all also in dominant positions: similarly as it was in Aggersborg, one can see Roskilde's spires from afar when coming from the fjord and has to climb the hill to reach it (cf. picture). I think that all such symbolic and historical context greatly enhances and contributes to the value of this site, and helps understanding its significance!

Logistics and beyond the cathedral

Everything relevant in Roskilde is included in the Copenhagen card, also covering the train ticket, so I think it is an unmissable opportunity when in Copenhagen, and one of the most cost-effective choices to take: the entry is 60DKK~8€ (it includes a very professional booklet-guide to be taken), and the train round-trip is more than 22€.

Add to this that admission to the equally umissable Viking ship museum, just few minutes away, is more than 20€ in the good season, and you get it. This is really a possible highlight of any Denmark trip, a kind of a cousin to the famous Vikingskipshuset in Oslo (which by the way will be under restoration until 2026 and reopen as the new Vikingtidsmuseet), which, even if it boasts less glamorous ships, is a fully functioning shipyard with many true reconstructions of Viking ships and the possibility of sailing one (book with ample advance!!!)! The café Knarr there is a very good and stylish place to take a lunch, too (only "Viking" ingredients). Just plan the right time for both attractions. I may be particularly slow, but at least a couple of hours for the ships and 1,5 hours for the cathedral should be taken into account. As others pointed out, the cathedral wants to be visited from all the angles from the outside, too.

Opening hours are standard or even extended in summer, but only the afternoon (i.e. from 13h) on Sundays. There are also other attractions in Roskilde, such as the museum of contemporary art in the bright yellow buildings just behind the church and the town museum, but given their typical Danish opening hours I find it simply impossible to visit everything on the same day, unless you are speeders. The town overall is nice and will be a stage of Tour de France in 2022. A walk in the byparken is nice, and some other hoary churches can be found there.

 

All in all, I think that Roskilde deserves its place on the list and is worthy of the trip, even of forsaking seeing something more in Copenhagen to come here. It may be a fascination for royalty, the architectural richness and extravaganza, the serene atmosphere... but it has something. PHOTO: the cathedral's north side seen coming up the hill.