Roskilde Cathedral – the Nave

Today we are concentrating on the Nave in this series from Roskilde Cathedral, and right above where you enter (through a side entrance, as only Royals gets to enter through The King’s Door) there is a clock high up on the wall.

The clock is from the 1400s and is unique in Denmark. Each hour Saint George kills the dragon and it lets out a frightful wail. Quite dramatic, actually!Kirsten Kimer chimes the quarters on her little bell and Peter Døver strikes the hours on the large bell while Kirsten shakes her head. The face of the clock shows all the 24 hours of the day. The clock mechanism is located in the southern tower. It was made by the clockmaker Peter Matthiesen, Copenhagen, in 1741. The dragon’s wail is produced by bellows pumping air into three out-of-tune organ pipes. This mechanism is also located in the south tower.

The Pulpit is from the beginning of the 1600s and, like the pews, had become necessary in connection with the Reformation when the sermon became an important part of the church service. The pulpit is made rather unusually of brick and sandstone and only the entrance is of wood. The main panels show the evangelists which, like other figures, have distorted and violent faces.

King Christian IV had a private box installed in the northern gallery around 1600. It comprises two rooms which can be seen from the ornamentation on the front. The box is divided vertically by herms depicting the Christian virtues: Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance. The King’s Chair is no longer in use.

The organ in the southern gallery is one of the finest historical organs in Denmark. The oldest part is from around 1425 and significant parts stem from the organ built by Herman Raphaëlis in 1554. The baroque facade is from 1654. The most recent major renovation was carried out in 1988-1991 when the many additions made over the years were removed and the baroque organ from 1654 restored as far as possible. The organ is still used at all church services.

Please enjoy some more photos from the Nave, and check back later for more Cathedral posts.