CATHEDRAL (DOMKIRKE)

Built between 1117 and 1225, on the site of wooden churches successively destroyed by fire, it was enlarged by a bell tower used as a watchtower to prevent flooding. A beautiful mixture of styles, between Romanesque and Gothic, and materials: brick from Jutland, brown stone and gray tuff from the Rhineland. It is considered the first Christian church in Denmark, built by Ansgar, a missionary monk from Hamburg. A statue in his honor welcomes you in front of the main entrance. Our Lady remains one of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in the country.

On the outside, on the tympanum of the late ^12th century portal, you can admire a descent from the Cross. On the triangular pediment just above, a bas-relief illustrates the day of the Last Judgment. The door is called "the portal of the cat's head", because of the two lions sculpted on the base of the two columns flanking the door.

The interior decoration is subtle and colorful. The amber stone changes under the effect of the sun: the beige color takes a pinkish caramel shade, very warm. Medieval frescoes that predate the destruction of the Reformation were found during restoration work. They decorate the first two pillars on the right as you enter (Virgin and Child, the apostles Andrew and Bartholomew) and the north transept (St. George and the Dragon). The vault's doubleaux and the arches of the tribunes are reminiscent of the mosque of Cordoba, alternating red and white keystones.

In theapse, the decoration was made between 1982 and 1987 by Carl Henning Pedersen (1913-2007), a major artist of the CoBrA movement. The ensemble includes the frescoes on the barrel vault, the mosaics on the arcades behind the altar and the stained glass windows in the choir. Even if this project raised some controversy in its time, the perfect integration with the building is now unanimous. Behind the pulpit, the level reached by the flood of 1634 is visible, indicated by a line. Each row of wooden pews shows a glimpse of carvings.

Don't miss the tomb of King Christopher ^I, who died in 1259 (near the altar) made of black marble from Belgium and stone from the Rhine. Other tombstones were preserved, including that of Iver Munk, the last Catholic bishop of the diocese of Ribe. In the south transept is the chapel of Admiral Albert Skeel made of sandstone and precious wood.

Finally, climb to the top of the bell tower to better appreciate the old village in the middle of the pastures. But hang on when the wind blows!