Sankt Jakobs Kirke (or St. James's Church in English) is both the oldest and largest church in the Østerbro neighborhood of Copenhagen. It belongs to the Church of Denmark and was built between 1876-1878.  The designer was Ludvig Fenger, who designed another church, Sankt Matthæus Kirke, in the neighborhood of Vesterbro, as well as many other buildings in the Copenhagen area.

Sankt Jakobs Kirke in Østerbro

Services & Activities

The church is easily accessible from Østerbrogade, and lies near other popular sights like Parken and Østerbro Stadion. It is open to visitors every day from 9-13. The church offers a variety of activities throughout the year, including concerts, film viewings, and talks about religious issues of the day. The film viewings, or Kirkebio, focus on a certain theme and are not specifically categorized as "religious". For example, the 2014-2015 season will include films such as "Atonement" and "Invictus". Participating in Kirkebio requires membership, with a fee of 300kr. The lectures feature speakers from a variety of fields outside of religion, and are free to the public. The church hosts these activities and more that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Baptisms are given every Sunday at 11.30. During the winter the church also hosts a Rhythmic Worship once a month, featuring a freer and more musical service. One Tuesday each month is reserved for a Children's Worship, and both the first Sunday of Advent and Mardi Gras offer a Family Worship. The church even offers Kirkebil, or a taxi to and from the church, for parishioners residing in the 2100 area.

Contact

Address: Østerbrogade 29, 2100 Copenhagen.

Phone: 3538 0494

E-mail: [email protected]

Church Office Hours

The Sacristan and Communications Officer is Kira Saabye From and the Administrative Sacristan/Accountant is Anita Skov Jensen.

History

Sankt Jakobs Kirke was the second church built outside of the old city fortifications of Copenhagen, at a time when the city was rapidly expanding. The first church was Sankt Johannes Kirke (St. John's Church) in Nørrebro, whose first pastor Rudolf Frimodt was responsible for the construction of Sankt Jakobs Kirke, as well as three other churches. Frimodt wanted more churches to be built in the new neighborhoods, and started a campaign in 1874 to accomplish just this. The church is built in the English neo-Gothic style, and features an altarpiece painted by Carl Bloch.

References

1. ^ Sankt Jakobs Kirke. (n.d.). Retrieved 28 January 2015 from the Sankt Jakobs Kirke Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James's_Church,_Copenhagen.

2. ^(n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2015, from www.sanktjakobskirke.dk