Skagen Old Church Ruins

Skagen, Denmark

Skagen Old church, also called as 'Sand-Covered Church' was built in the 14th century and dedicated to Saint Lawrence of Rome. It was a brick church of considerable size and located 2 km south-west of the town centre. The white church tower is all that is visible of the former church, the rest of it demolished and the neighboring village having been buried under the sand from nearby dunes.

The church was named for the patron saint of sailors, but was buried by sand from Råbjerg Milen. The desertification that hit the area in the 18th century led to the abandonment of the old parish church to the migrating sands. This area of dunes threatened the church and the village for centuries, and the planting of trees could not prevent further encroachment: the church itself was demolished in 1775. All the furniture, fittings, and interior decoration were sold or moved to a new church (Skagen Church 1841), while the church tower being left to rise above the sand.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Religious sites in Denmark
Historical period: The First Kingdom (Denmark)

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Matthias Hess (13 months ago)
Interesting historical landmark. It's free and you can climb up to the rafters and enjoy the view. Nice walking trails in the surrounding park as well.
PingoKari (15 months ago)
Great for kids, a short stroll in the nature typical for the region.
Lenka Švidrnochová (15 months ago)
Really nice place with a possibility to go inside and enjoy the view.
David Rasmussen (15 months ago)
Fun and interesting little church tower, half buried in sand. There are free parking and it only takes 5 minutes to walk to the church - and the church is seen in about 10 mins, so it’s a fun little short stop if you are in Skagen.
Peter Liliegren (15 months ago)
Interesting to see, cool you could go up the stairs to the top for a fantastic view! Also good parking place with clean toilets a few hundres meters from the church
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Citadelle of Quebec

The Citadelle of Quebec is an active military installation and official residence of both the Canadian monarch and the Governor General of Canada. It is located atop Cap Diamant, adjoining the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. The citadel is the oldest military building in Canada, and forms part of the fortifications of Quebec City, which is one of only two cities in North America still surrounded by fortifications, the other being Campeche, Mexico.

The first fortifications in Quebec were built by the Governor General of New France Louis de Buade, and completed just in time for the Battle of Quebec in 1690.

After the British conquest in the second half of the 18th century, the problem of Quebec City's defences grew more acute.