FREDERIK’S CHURCH

Copenhagen, Denmark

Frederik's Church is locally known as The Marble Church. It was first designed by architect Nicolai Eigtved in 1740. Along with the rest of Frederiksstad, a district of Copenhagen, it was intended to commemorate the 300th jubilee of the first crowning of a member of the House of Oldenburg. The inspiration was probably the Pantheon in Rome. The foundation stone was set by King Frederik V on October 31, 1749, but the construction was slowed by budget cuts and the death of the architect in 1754. In 1770, the original plans for the church were revised by Johann Friedrich Struensee. The church was again left incomplete and stood, in spite of several initiatives to complete it, as a ruin for nearly 150 years. The present version of the church was designed by Ferdinand Meldahl, financed by Carl Frederik Tietgen, and opened August 19, 1894. Frederik's Church has the largest church dome in Scandinavia, spanning 100 feet and sitting on 12 columns.

This sketch was drawn on a day off from the 2006 Rotary Convention in Copenhagen, while the family traversed the city on a sunny walk. We strolled along a canal, and I noticed the church up a side street. I could not resist stopping to sketch it. The surrounding buildings and other monuments added to the depth and drama of the sketch.