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

Website (optional)


Address

Gl. Landevej 63, Skagen, Denmark
See all sites in Skagen

Details

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

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.visitdenmark.com

Rating

3.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Skagen Church (2,2 km)


Voergaard Castle (53,9 km)
Lendum Church (37 km)
Byrum Church (57,6 km)
Sindal Old Church (33,7 km)
Vesterø Søndre Church (53,8 km)
Elling Church (26,9 km)
Astrup Church (37,6 km)

User Reviews

Thomas Breitenbach (2 years ago)
Such a nice place!
Greta Schiavon (2 years ago)
Fascinating the idea of a church that doesn't exist anymore. Only the tower is still on foot and you can understand what the destiny of the building was!
Emre Yıldız (2 years ago)
very interesting site. should be seen...
Samuli Rantanen (2 years ago)
An old church that sand has taken over. Nice surroundings and nature also. About 500 m from the parking.
Gustav Christensson (3 years ago)
Far away from civilization, here's a church which will offer something different. Lovely old building in a wonderful natural landscape. Entrance to the church is free, as I understand it. Highly reccmmended!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.