The Disproportionate Marble Church

Saturday, April 3, 2010 (Part 7):

Very near the Amalienborg complex -- only about 200 yards from the front gates -- is a church that is referred to as the Marble Church, or Marmorkirken. It has a huge dome, and the dome is disproportionately too big for the facility upon which it sits. The church was originally designed to rival the churches in Italy, and the dome is apparently one of the largest in Europe. But the original building plans were much grander than the finally completed church. As the story goes, during construction, they ran out of funds. So the church was made considerably smaller, but the dome was

kept the same size.

The inside of the Marble Church is relatively simple and, compared to many churches, rather plain. This, of course, is in keeping with Danish style -- which is all about simplicity and functionality. The inside of the Marble Church is one large, circular sanctuary. The painted, domed ceiling is the most striking feature. We spent 5-10 minutes sitting in a pew and mostly staring at the ceiling.