Sunday 2 October 2011

A Place of Worship

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This morning I intended to go to a church service. At least I half intended to. What makes me doubt the full sincerity of my own intention is that I allowed myself to “get lost in the fog” on the way there. When the church bells rang, I was still embarrassingly far away from the church. I should either have started out at least half an hour earlier, or left the camera at home… And really I ought to know that by now!

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So I did not go to church today. I did, however, look in there yesterday, when I was just passing by on another stroll in the fog, but found the church to be open to visitors (no service going on).

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On the spot where this church stands, services have been held “as long as the Lord’s gospels have been known in the region” (quoted from a brochure I picked up on my visit). As early as the 13th century, there was a stone church on this spot, possibly preceded by a wooden one before that. The rapid growth of the town demanded a larger church, which was completed in 1669, with the tower added in 1681. The same year, the church was destroyed in a town fire. It was rebuilt in 1690, devastated again in a second town fire in 1727; again rebuilt, and again damaged in a third fire in 1822. Since then no more big fires, but several restorations – the last one just recently.

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The church is 46 m long, and 26,5 m wide. The roof is supported by fifteen pillars, all somewhat unsymmetrical.

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The ceiling is made of wood and beautifully painted.

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The tower is 35 m high, the tower head not included.
The vestry was added around 1940.

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Today, not wanting to slip in a quarter of an hour late, I ended up just paying my general respects in Nature’s cathedral outside.

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“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
~ Acts 17:24-25 NIV (Paul speaking to the people of Athens) ~

Linked to Straight Out Of the Camera Sunday
(the first four + the last two photos are sooc)

11 comments:

  1. Beautiful shots. The second is really wonderful.

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  2. Oh, these photos are wonderful. It really is okay to slip in a bit late to church, you know. God is in the forgiveness business!

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  3. Lovely church, thank you for the pictures.

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  4. really wonderful captures. i love the church window. God is in your photographs.

    i'm the same way; raised in church and feel the need to go at least once a month. lately i've been dragging my feet about going and I feel guilty.

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  5. Kay - With God I have no doubts. With people, now that's a different matter... ;)

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  6. Fabulous shots. The window is spectacular.
    Linking from SOOC.

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  7. Oh that beautiful, gorgeous tree!!!! And the wonderful spreading branches! The church history is so interesting, what a bunch of disasters have befallen it! Is that clock tower on the church the one I have seen a few times in the past on your blogs, you have shown it from a distance? Or was that a different one? I love he first picture, a window stained by God, that is fall leaves outside of it? It does look like only the top left little pane is stained, then nothing else. Is that vestry where the priest lives?

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  8. Ginny - And what a bunch of questions! - Yes I've shown pictures of this church and tower before, from the outside. The church is situated on a little hill, and you can see the tower from many places in town. - I think more than just one of the window panes are in different shades of pale colours. The light and the autumn colours outside play their part in the visual effect. - A vestry is a room where the official robes and chalices for the communion etc are kept. No one lives there (or ever did).

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  9. I think your photos are their own form of worship. The photo of the church window is particularly arresting. You can even see the ripples in the glass telling us it is old, old.

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  10. thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of history, it is so pretty, inside and outside, love that big tree. the windows are magnificent. a great place to wander

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  11. I particularly like the first two pictures - the second one is especially good. The inside of the church belies its austere outside.

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