The whitewashed church in Bjerre has a choir and nave from Romanesque period with a late Gothic tower to the west and a later porch to the south. The Romanesque building is in travertine without any visible plinth, and it has not kept special original details. In the late Gothic period was in the choir built one, in the nave three cross vaults and the choir arch was extended. At almost the same time the tower was added withan eight rib-vault in the bottom room and a round tower arch. In the north wall of the tower is a straight-running stairway up to the middle storey. The porch is built in monk bricks but it has no dated details.
The altar piece is a Renaissance structure from ab. 1630 with two pillars. It was decorated in 1741 and repaired in 1939. The present painting, Christ is healing a sick, was painted by Anker Lund in 1892; an earlier painting, The Crucifixion, hangs above the exit door. Altar chalice from 1774 with names and coat of arms of Hans Helmer Lüttichau and wife. Balustershaped Baroque candelabres, from ab. 1650. The Romanesque granite font has a rather roughly carved basin with large lions and a dragon in flat-relief, divided by trees. The round foot has corner-knots. A South German dish with engraved coat of arms of Walkendorf and Egern-Friis. A sounding board from the beginning of the 1700s, similar to the choir desk, which has naive biblical paintings. Upon the desk stand two late Gothic small-figures of Virgin Mary and Sct Laurentius. A torso of an indefinable crucifix-figure is at Glud Museum.
A pulpit in Renaissance, ab. 1630, with Tuscany corner pillars and a contemporary sounding board. An interesting early Gothic bell from ab. 1325-50, without inscription, but with seal imprint, which in the shield shows a murtinde (wall peak) and the word 'Nicles...nes'. In the porch two very worn out gravestones from the late 1700s with naive Evangelist symbols.
References:The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.
According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.
In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.
The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.
The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.
In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.
The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.