St. Mary's Church, Sønderborg, Denmark

The St. Mary's Church in Sønderborg is located on a hill and is a very iconic for the city. In the Middle Ages there was a leper colony on a hill just outside the city. It was named after Saint George and around 1300 the chapel of this leper colony stood in the place of the present St. Mary's Church. After the old parish church of the city, the St. Nicholas Church, was demolished around 1530, the Saint-George chapel became the new main church. Towards the end of the 16th century, John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg commissioned the enlargement of the building in order to make it suitable for the function of the parish church of his city.

In 1595 a start was made on the partial demolition of the old church and the construction of the new church. Only parts of the old medieval church remained. From the medieval church, a medieval wooden wall cupboard dating from about 1400 remained. The solemn inauguration of the new parish church took place just before Christmas in 1600. In 1649 the George Church was renamed as the Mary Church.

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User Reviews

Lasse Hansen (3 months ago)
A very beautiful church, worth a visit.

Dieter Knausenberger (2 years ago)
Next to the castle, Sønderborg's St. Mary's Church is a must-see. The church was consecrated in 1600. On the side walls are remarkable 17th-century carved wooden epitaphs. The gallery with the richly decorated Bible verses is just as impressive. The colored windows in the sanctuary were created by the famous Danish artist Per Kirkeby from 2007 and inaugurated in 2011. Incidentally, his works of art are exhibited at the MoMa in New York, the Tate Modern in London and the Center Pompidou in Paris. The artist passed away in 2018.

Inge Glud (2 years ago)
Beautiful church

Ulla Henriksen (2 years ago)
Nice church, nice with parking

Stefan Lausen (3 years ago)
Beautiful church and surroundings

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