Sandby Church dates from the middle of the 13th century and it has a Romanesque chancel and nave and a Late Gothic tower. Little is known of the church's early history other than the Crown had clerical appointment rights before the Reformation. It remained under the Crown until 1679 when it was transferred to the episcopal authority of Funen. In 1726, it passed into the ownership of the Danneskiold-Samsøe til Lundegaard estate, later the seat of the Barony of Christiansdal under the Knuth dynasty. After the termination of the barony in 1804, the church was bought by the Hardenberg estate until it gained independence in 1912.
The church is built of red brick, now whitewashed, and has a red tile roof. In addition to the Romanesque chancel and nave, there was originally also an apse. The tower, porch and sacristy were added in the Late Gothic period. Toothed cornice decorations top the walls of the nave and chancel where traces of former rounded Romanesque windows and doors can still be seen.
The auricular Baroque altarpiece (originally an epitaph) and the pulpit and canopy, both from c. 1635, are probably the work of Hans Gudewerth the Younger (died 1671). Both finely decorated pieces have been carved with unusual skill. The pulpit has images of the Fall, Noah's Ark, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus. The granite font is Romanesque. There is a bell from the Middle Ages and one cast in 1567. Late Gothic frescos have been uncovered on the segments of the sacristy vaults, probably representing the early fathers of the church. Pope Gregory with a green halo is depicted in the eastern segment while Jerome in his red cardinal's robes and hat can be seen in the northern segment.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.