St. Bendt's Church, Ringsted

Facts

Royal burial place

Sankt Bendts Kirke (St. Bendt's Church) in Ringsted was built in the 1170s. The 66-metre-long church is one of Denmark's oldest brick-built churches. Historically, the church formed the north wing of an abbey and was a royal sepulchral church in the early Middle Ages. Among other monarchs, King Valdemar I is buried here. His grave was opened in 1855 under the supervision of King Frederik VII. Valdemar died in 1182 and lay in a stone tomb, shrouded in a hooded, leather sack. At the head-end of the tomb was a lead plaque proclaiming that the king had built a wall at Dannevirke of burnt stone", that is, of brick. "

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Fateful drive

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Story written by Peter Pentz

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At the west end of the church is an almost three-metre brass plaque engraved with images and script. This is the tombstone of King Erik VI Menved" and Queen Ingeborg, who both died in 1319. The images depict the two royals. Ingeborg was the daughter of a Swedish king. She and King Erik were married in 1296 in Helsingborg. The Queen bore many children, but all except one were either stillborn or died in infancy. The fourteenth child to survive birth and early infancy died when it fell from the Queen's moving carriage. The grief-stricken Queen Ingeborg is said to have withdrawn to Sankt Clara Kloster (St. Clare's Abbey) in Roskilde. "