Denmark, Roskilde Cathedral

Roskilde Cathedral (Danish: Roskilde Domkirke), in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand (Sjælland) in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Denmark. The first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick, it encouraged the spread of the Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe. Constructed during the 12th and 13th centuries, the cathedral incorporates both Gothic and Romanesque architectural features in its design. Until the 20th century, it was Zealand's only cathedral. Its twin spires dominate the skyline of the town.

The cathedral has been the main burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century. As such, it has been significantly extended and altered over the centuries to accommodate a considerable number of burial chapels. Following the Danish Reformation in 1536, the bishop's residence was moved to Copenhagen while the title was changed to Bishop of Zealand. Coronations normally took place in Copenhagen's Church of Our Lady or in the chapel of Frederiksborg Palace.

Royal burials

Choir

• Margrethe I (d. 1412): immediately behind the high altar

Piers flanking the apse

• Harald Bluetooth (d. 985–986): supposedly buried in the northwestern pier, but no remains have been found
• Sweyn II Estridsen (d. 1076) in the southeastern pier

Estrid Svendsdatter (d. between 1057 & 1073) was widely believed to have been buried in the northeastern pier, but a DNA test in 2003 dispelled the myth as the remains belonged to a woman much too young to be Estrid Svendsdatter. The new theory is that the sign on the pier refers to Margareta Hasbjörnsdatter, who was also known as Estrid and who married Harald III Hen, the son of Sweyn Estridsen.[46] In the southwestern pillar lie the remains of two bishops, Asser and William.

Apse

• Christopher III of Bavaria (d. 1448)
• Christian V (d. 1699) and Queen Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (d. 1714)
• Frederick IV (d. 1730) and Queen Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (d. 1721)

Chapel of the Magi (Christian I's Chapel)

• Christian I (d. 1481) and Queen Dorothy of Brandenburg (d. 1495)
• Christian III (d. 1559) and Queen Dorothy of Saxony-Lauenburg (d. 1571)
• Frederick II (d. 1588) and Queen Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1631)

Frederick V's chapel

• Christian VI (d. 1746) and Queen Sophia Magdalena of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (d. 1770)
• Frederick V (d. 1766) and Queens: Louise of Great Britain (d. 1751) and Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (d. 1796)
• Christian VII (d. 1808)
• Frederick VI (d. 1839) and Queen Marie of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (d. 1852)
• Christian VIII (d. 1848) and Queen Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1881)
• Frederick VII (d. 1863)

Christian IV's chapel

• Christian, Prince Elect (d. 1647)
• Christian IV (d. 1648) and Queen Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (d. 1612)
• Frederick III (d. 1670) and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1685)

Christian IX's chapel

• Christian IX (1906) and Queen Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (1898)
• Frederick VIII (1912) and Queen Louise of Sweden-Norway (1926)
• Christian X (1947) and Queen Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1952)

Frederick IX's burial site

• Frederick IX (d. 1972) and Queen Ingrid of Sweden (d. 2000)

Boys' choir

Since 1987, the cathedral has been home to one of Denmark's leading boys' choirs, the Roskilde Cathedral Boys' Choir. The choir is a key resource in parish youth work. All choristers go to normal school but meet 2-3 times a week to rehearse. Every second year the choir travels abroad to different destinations, such as New Zealand, Scandinavia, England, Greenland, France, and Canada.

Organ

In 1554 a new organ built by Herman Raphaelis was donated to the cathedral for services. It was updated/enlarged in 1611, 1654, the 1690s (?), 1833, 1926 and the 1950s. During the 1980s tonal and technical problems became apparent. A thorough investigation—and the presence in the instrument of a considerable quantity of 16- and 17th-century pipework—led to the decision to re-create a classical Danish organ of the 17th century. This work was carried out by Marcussen & Søn and completed in 1991.

The cathedral is a major tourist attraction, bringing in over 125,000 visitors annually. Since 1995, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A working church, it also hosts concerts throughout the year.