Palace Chapel Copenhagen - Copenhagen Tourist

The Palace Chapel - Copenhagen

*A Part of the Danish Cultural Heritage*

The Palace Chapel

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The Palace Chapel
Christiansborg

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The Palace Chapel was painstakingly restored after a heavy fire raised the Royal Church in 1992.

The Palace Chapel
After the fires of the first Chapel at Christiansborg Palace - the present Chapel was built as a parish church for the Royal Family and inaugurated in 1826 - by a ceremony to commemorate the 1000 year anniversary of the Danish Kingdom adopting Christianity and the Christianization of Denmark

Destroyed by a heavy fires
During the ruling of King Christian VI (1699-1746 - ruled Denmark and Norway from 1730-1746) the first Palace Chapel was built in the period 1732-1745 - with an eminent Rococo style interior. In 1794 - the first Christiansborg Palace was destroyed by a heavy fire and burnt down to the ground - and the Palace Chapel was also greatly ruined. In 1813 - it was decided to use the existing foundations and the rest of the masonry to build a new church in connection of the rebuilding of the second Christiansborg Palace.

In 1828 the first Palace Chapel was inaugurated as a parish church for the Royal Family - and a special memorial service was held to commemorate the 1000 year anniversary of the Christianization of the Danish Kingdom.

The Palace Chapel was spared after the second Christiansborg palace was destroyed by fires in 1884. The picture from 1885 - shows the market on Amagertorv and the Palace Chapel with the burnt ruins of Chriatiansborg Palace in the back.

The Royal Chapel
The new Palace Chapel was built in Neo-Classical style - and completed for services to the members of the Royal Families and Court in 1826. The first royal ceremony was the wedding of Prince Frederik (King Frederik VII) in 1828 - and since then many royal weddings and other regal ceremonies have been performed at the Palace Chapel.

Deceased Sovereigns - Lie In State
When Danish monarchs die - it is a tradition that the deceased sovereign lie in state (Castrum Doloris - the name for decorations accompanying the catafalque that increase the prestige of the funeral and signify the importance of the deceased) at the Palace Chapel before they are taken to their final resting place at Roskilde Cathedral. Latest in 2000 - Queen Ingrid lay in state in the Palace Chapel - and more than 30,000 people passed the Royal Coffin to pay their last respects to a much admired monarch.

A long lasting tradition is - that Danish monarchs lie in state in the Palace Chapel - and like the catafalque with the coffin of King Frederik VIII in 1912 - surrounded by the silver lions from Rosenborg Castle. The Royal catafalque is guarded by representatives from Denmark’s Armed Forces.

See: Rosenborg Castle

After the lying in state of the deceased sovereign - the coffin is taken on a gun carriage along the funeral route to the Central Station - and then by train to their final resting place at Roskilde Cathedral - which has been the Danish Monarchs burial plot since the Protestant Reformation in Demark in 1536.

See: Roskilde Cathedral

The heavy fire in 1992
The Palace Chapel was spared after the second Christiansborg palace was destroyed by fires in 1884 - but in 1992 - the Palace Chapel was raised by a heavy fire and burnt the building nearly down to the ground, probably set by fireworks during the Whitsun Carnival. The walls and the historical inventory were extremely damaged together with the roof and dome.

The Palace Chapel is also used every year for a special service by members of the Danish Parliament before the opening of the Danish Parliament the first Tuesday of October. The Chapel is located beside the Parliament building.

The difficult task of recreating the marbled stucco work after the fire in 1992 was conducted by German experts - who were skilled to use a special technique - which was taught to the Danish stucco workforce during restoration of the Chapel.

Rebuilding and restoration
The rebuilding and restoration work of the Palace Chapel stated shortly after the fire and was conducted by German experts - who brought the neo-classical church building and interior back to its original state - including the difficult task of recreating the internal marbled stucco. Since - the Palace Chapel has been awarded several architectural prizes for its notable restoration and latest received the Europa Nostra Architectural Heritage prize.

Location
The Palace Chapel is located beside Christiansborg Palace and Thorvaldsens Museum.

The Palace Chapel

Address
The Palace Chapel
Prins Jørgens Gård 4 - DK 1218 Copenhagen K

The Palace Chapel

To be updated!

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