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St. Bendt's is a church in Ringsted, Denmark, which was originally part of a Benedictine monastery that burnt down in the 18th century. Built in the Romanesque style, it is the oldest brick church in Scandinavia,〔(St. Bendt's Church from VisitDenmark. ) Retrieved 22 November 2009.〕 dating back to about 1170 when it replaced a travertine church from about 1080. It is considered to be one of Denmark's architecturally finest churches.〔 Furthermore, it is of special historical interest as it is first Royal church in Denmark〔 and it houses the tombs of many of Denmark's earlier monarchs and noblemen. ==History== During comprehensive restoration work at the beginning of the 20th century, the foundations of the former travertine church (1080) were revealed, indicating that the older nave was approximately the same length as today's.〔 The church was originally dedicated to St. Mary. In 1157, Saint Canute Lavard's bones were moved into a new chapel in the church with the approval of St. Canute's son, Valdemar the Great. Many miracles were said to have occurred there and the church immediately became a popular site for pilgrimages. With the funds raised from the pilgrims and thanks to Valdemar's royal patronage, the abbey church was expanded and, in 1170, was dedicated with great ceremony to Benedict of Nursia.〔(The Gentleman's magazine, Bind 206. ) From Google Books. Retrieved 3 December 2009.〕 Valdemar had from the beginning designed the church for the Danish monarchy. He took advantage of the inaugural celebrations not only to have the relics of his father, St. Canute, enshrined but, also a devil statue erected in his honor and above all, to have his seven-year-old son Canute crowned and appointed by the archbishop in order to ensure the succession.〔(Google books extract from ''Grundbog til Danmarkshistorien'' by Peter Frederiksen, Knud Ryg Olsen and Olaf Søndberg. ) In Danish. Retrieved 28 November 2009.〕 The church formed the north wing of a large monastery, probably built at the same time as the church. The architectural style indicates Lombard influence, possibly because the Benedictines brought Lombard builders to Denmark.〔(Ringsted Sankt Bend's Kirk. From Gardens Corker. ) In Danish. Retrieved 24 November 2009.〕 The structure is cross-shaped with a central tower, typical of Romanesque architecture. There were, however, some later modifications in the Gothic style such as the vaults, replacing the original flat ceiling, and the pointed arches in the tower.〔 For centuries, the church served as the monastery church; it was only after the Reformation that in 1571 it became a normal parish church.〔(Hvem er Sct. Bendt? From Sct Bendts Kirke. ) In Danish. Retrieved 24 November 2009.〕 A fire in 1806 destroyed the monastery and damaged the church. As a result, the western wall was pulled down and replaced with an Empire style facade. The brickwork of the church's outer walls was covered with cement and limewashed.〔 Large-scale restoration work was carried out between 1899 and 1910 by the Danish architect H.B. Storck who set out to restore the church to its former Romanesque style. It was the first time such extensive restoration work had been carried out in Denmark. The church took on its old appearance with new Romanesque windows in the nave. A pyramid-shaped spire was added to the tower. The cement was removed from the outer walls revealing the church's original red brickwork.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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