the exact foundation of Bjerning Church is unknown, but since the original part of the church, nave and choir is a typical Romanesque ashlar-church, it is reasonable to assume that is was erected around the year 1200. Fixtures in the church also confirms this, like a figure of an archbishop in wood, which has been dated to around 1250, and a figure of Mary and child from around 1350.
On November 17th 1937, a violent fire broke out, and everything flammable, such as altar, altarpiece, pulpit, benches etc. were totally destroyed. Only the roof over the sacristy avoided the flames.
Today, the church bears the marks of the 1938 and 1939 restoration. At the alter, a crucifix-group stands on a predella with Christ on a throne. The granite baptismal font was carved in 1939 as a replica of the old, and the pulpit is also a fairly accurate replica of the one destroyed in the fire.
References:The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).
The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.
The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.
The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.