Saturday 27 June 2009

Cathedral of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirche)


One of the things you find in all of Rick Steve's tour guide books is "walks." He suggests you start in a particular place in a town, and guides you from place to place, telling you about what you are looking at. It is a wonderful way to learn about the people and culture of a place you are visiting for the first time.
We were on one of his walks in Copenhagen when he guided us to this cathedral. In the guide book it mentioned that "...Mormons would recognize a statue similar to the one on Temple Square ..." Our antennae went up.
As soon as we walked into the sanctuary, we knew that something was different about this place. Bertel Thorvaldsen is the most famous sculptor in Sweden, he has his own museum of his work. But in this cathedral are 13 larger-than-life originals in marble, the 12 apostles and Christ - the original of the sculpture we in the LDS church call 'The Christus.' The feel of the place was peaceful, cool and quiet. The spirit could be felt, knowing that this was a special place.

As soon as I walked in the door I thought, "I know about this place." I remembered it being discussed on two occaissions, one I have excerted below. The other was over lunch with our
Stake President telling me about going to Copenhagen and visiting this church with our patriarch, and how spiritually refreshing and serene the place is.

The cathedral started as a Catholic church, but was confiscated by King Christian III when he converted to Lutheranism and took the whole country with him. It is very simple, but very beautiful.

An excerpt from a talk by Elder Boyd K Packer given in an LDS worldwide leadership conference. (also found in the May 2008 Ensign)

"...In 1976 an area general conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Following the closing session, President Spencer W. Kimball desired to visit the Vor Frue Church, where the Thorvaldsen statues of the Christus and of the Twelve Apostles stand. He had visited there some years earlier and wanted all of us to see it, to go there.

To the front of the church, behind the altar, stands the familiar statue of the Christus with His arms turned forward and somewhat outstretched, the hands showing the imprint of the nails, and the wound in His side very clearly visible.


Along each side stand the statues of the Apostles, Peter at the front to the right and the other Apostles in order.

Most of our group was near the rear of the chapel with the custodian. I stood up front with President Kimball before the statue of Peter with Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Johan Helge Benthin, president of the Copenhagen stake.

In Peter’s hand, depicted in marble, is a set of heavy keys. President Kimball pointed to those keys and explained what they symbolized. Then, in an act I shall never forget, he turned to President Benthin and with unaccustomed firmness pointed his finger at him and said, “I want you to tell everyone in Denmark that I hold the keys! We hold the real keys, and we use them every day.”

I will never forget that declaration, that testimony from the prophet. The influence was spiritually powerful; the impression was physical in its impact.

We walked to the back of the chapel where the rest of the group was standing. Pointing to the statues, President Kimball said to the kind custodian, “These are the dead Apostles.” Pointing to me, he said, “Here we have the living Apostles. Elder Packer is an Apostle. Elder Thomas S. Monson and Elder L. Tom Perry are Apostles, and I am an Apostle. We are the living Apostles.

“You read about the Seventies in the New Testament, and here are two of the living Seventies, Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Elder Robert D. Hales.”

The custodian, who up to that time had shown no emotion, suddenly was in tears.

I felt I had had an experience of a lifetime."

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