Palace Church of Frederiksborg Castle

The west wing of the castle differs from the east by its large windows and tower, it hides behind its walls not the palace chambers, but a large three-nave church, luxuriously decorated in the Baroque style (Frederiksborg Slotskirke).

Frederick II bought the castle in 1560, and since then the castle chapel has been used as a private church of the royal family, closed to the common man. King Christian IV was born in Frederiksborg in 1577 and was baptised in this church. Having taken over the royal throne after his father's death, he demolished the old castle, building in its place a new luxury residence in the style of the Dutch Renaissance, which became one of the world's greatest masterpieces of castle architecture.

The church wing was started in 1606 and completed in 1617. Skilled craftsmen from all over Europe were invited to design the interiors. Here you can see painted and gilded stucco on the arches, many sculptures and bas-reliefs. The main one was completed in 1617, its construction was started by master Nikolaus Maas, after his death, the work was continued by Johan Lorenz. In addition, there were two mobile organs in the church, one of them is a unique work of the master and organist Esaias Compenius, it was built in 1605-1610. Only the baptismal font used to baptize Christian IV remains of the old church.

In 1631, a storm destroyed the old wooden church in Hillerode and the townspeople were allowed to temporarily use the Castle Church. However, the parish church was never restored and until now the townspeople perform baptisms, weddings and funerals in the castle church. After the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1660, the castle church of Frederiksborg Castle became the church of chrismation. Since Christian V, all Danish monarchs have been anointed here, with the last anointing occurring in 1840.

On December 17, 1859, a fire broke out in the castle, covering almost the entire building. The church was also badly damaged, the organ and the royal hall were completely destroyed. Firefighters managed to save a significant part of the furniture and utensils, including the altar and pulpit, but this cost the lives of three rescuers who died when the ceilings collapsed. The restoration of the castle and church was carried out with the financial support of the brewer J. K. Jacobsen. By a happy coincidence, shortly before the fire, work was carried out on measuring and drawing up drawings of the main organ, according to which it was reconstructed by Wilhelm Klein in 1861.

The Frederiksborg Castle Church is also a concert venue. Since 1967, it has hosted summer organ concerts featuring the world's leading performers every Sunday in summer. Concerts start at 17 o'clock. During the rest of the year, you can listen to choral oratorios and solo performances of vocalists, as well as instrumental concerts. Admission to most concerts is free. A half-hour concert for museum visitors is held on Thursdays at 13:30. Information about upcoming concerts can be found on the official website of the church.

The church is accessible to tourists when visiting the Museum of National History, located in the castle, the museum is open from April to October from 10: 00 to 17:00, in the rest of the period from 11:00 to 15: 00. During the services, admission is free, but during this time you will not be able to fully get acquainted with the interiors.