Søborg Church

Facts

Archbishop's church

The village of Søborg grew up around Archbishop Eskil's castle, called Søborg. The church was originally around 30 metres in length and brick-built and dated from around 1200. The tower, vestry and porch are later extensions. Before the tower was built, there may have been a narthex opening out in a series of curves facing the west end of the nave. Similar layouts and structures are seen in other churches sponsored by noble families. Set in the south side of the chancel, in the eighth row from the plinth, is a brick carved with runes before it was fired. The runes mean the first", perhaps to signify it as Søborg Church's first stone. "

Public place

Selected entry

Danish copy of painting from Italy

Story written by Peter Pentz

Time / Periode 1200

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In the niche of the bricked-up north door of the nave is a portrait of The Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus. The portrait is dated 1909 and signed by the artist Kristian Zahrtmann who spent the summers of 1883-1911 in the Italian town of Civita d'Antino, of which he was made an honorary citizen. The special quality of the light in this mountain village also attracted other Danish artists. The portrait in Søborg Church is Zahrtmann's own reproduction of an earlier one he painted in 1893 for the church of Civita D'Antino, which was destroyed in 1915 when the region was devastated by a powerful earthquake. When not in Italy, Zahrtmann lived in Frederiksberg on the square which today is named Zahrtmanns Plads.