Ruth's Church (Danish : Ruts Kirke) is a parish church located in the village of Rutsker near Hasle on the Danish island of Bornholm. The church was built in the early 13th century in the Romanesque style. Situated on a hilltop 130 m above sea level, it is the island's highest-standing church. [1] [2]
The oldest reference to the church dates from 1490, where Sancti Michelssogen (St Michael's Parish) is mentioned. The church was initially consecrated as St. Michael's, possibly because of its high location. By 1621, the name had become Ruth's Church (ecclesia Rutziana) after Ruth the Moabite in the Old Testament. The church was probably built in the 13th century with a nave and chancel. The tower at the west end and the porch on the south side were added later. The chancel and the finely rounded apsis are part of the original structure. At the end of the 19th century, the north wing was added. The old tower and porch were removed a little later, the nave was lengthened by some 3 metres and a new tower was built. [2]
Constructed in the second half of the 16th century, the belltower in the churchyard is said to be the oldest on the island. It has not, however, been used since 1886 when the bells were transferred to the new tower at the west end of the church. [2]
In 1908, frescos were discovered in the late Gothic apsis vaults. Depicting the signs of the evangelists, they were restored in 1930. Next to the fresco of Matthew, the date 1559 can be seen. Also of interest is the granite Romanesque font which is almost cylindrical in shape. [3]
Østerlars Church is a historic building located just north of the village of Østerlars, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Gudhjem on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. It is the largest and, possibly, the oldest of the island's four round churches.
St. Ib's Church, 3 km south-west of Svaneke on the Danish island of Bornholm, is a fine 12th century Romanesque building. The altarpiece was painted by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg in 1846. The Renaissance pulpit was decorated by Paul Høm in 1964 with ceramics of the four evangelists.
St. Nicolas' Church with its distinctive tower is the parish church of Rønne on the island of Bornholm in the Diocese of Copenhagen. Enlarged and fully refurbished in 1918, it stands near the harbour on the site of an earlier church or chapel from the 13th century.
Ny Kirke is a 12th-century round church located in the village of Nyker some 7 km from Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm. Built in the Romanesque style with two storeys, it contains frescos from various periods and a pulpit with 17th century-panels.
Sankt Ols Kirke, also known as Olsker Church, is a 12th-century round church located in the village of Olsker, 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Allinge on the Danish island of Bornholm. Built in the Romanesque style and reaching three storeys high, it has from the beginning consisted of a round nave, a choir and an apse.
Aa Church, located in Aakirkeby on the Danish island of Bornholm, is a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century. It is the parish church of Aaker Parish.
St. Bodil's Church is a parish church dating from the 13th century located 4 km west of Nexø on the Danish island of Bornholm.
Nylars Church is a 12th-century round church in the village of Nylars near Rønne in the south of the Danish island of Bornholm. Originally designed for a defensive role, the solid structure contains a series of 13th-century frescos, the oldest of Bornholm's four round churches.
St. Peter's Church is a Romanesque parish church some 6 km east of Aakirkeby on the Danish island of Bornholm. It is thought to be the oldest church on the island.
St. Canute's Church is a Romanesque church located 3 km northeast of Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm.
Nexø Church is the parish church of Nexø, a port on the eastern coast of the Danish island of Bornholm.
St. Paul's Church is a Romanesque church near Nexø on the Danish island of Bornholm. Unlike similar churches on the island, it has no tower.
Vestermarie Church is located in the little village of Vestermarie some 8 km east of Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm. The present Neo-Romanesque church replaces a now demolished 14th-century building.
Aastrup Church, located on the top of a steep hill in the village of Aastrup, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Stubbekøbing on the Danish island of Falster, dates from c. 1200. Built in the Late Romanesque style, it has frescos from the 13th and 15th centuries.
Torkilstrup Church is located in the village of Torkilstrup some 7 km (4 mi) southeast of Nørre Alslev, on the Danish island of Falster. It is built of hewn fieldstone rather than brick, indicating it is one of the oldest churches on the island from before 1160.
Freerslev Church is located in the Danish Diocese of Roskilde, Faxe Municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand. Parts of the original Romanesque church subsist today although there have been substantial Gothic additions. Primitive 14th-century frescos have been uncovered in the arch of an old window on the north wall.
Toreby Church is the parish church of Toreby on the Danish island of Lolland. It is an unusually large red-brick Romanesque building, the nave and chancel having been extended in the Gothic period with a sacristy and lateral aisle. The tower is late Romanesque. There are frescos from c. 1400 in the sacristy. The carved pulpit (1645) is the work of Jørgen Ringnis.
Østofte Church, located in the village of Nørreballe on the Danish island of Lolland, was built in the 14th century. The Romanesque apse, chancel and nave formed the original building while the tower and porch were added in the Late-Gothic period and the north wing was completed in 1656.
Birket Church is located south of the little village of Birket, some 14 km (8.7 mi) northeast of Nakskov on the Danish island of Lolland. Its chancel was originally the nave of the brick Gothic church built in 1350. The bell tower, which stands apart from the church, is believed to be Denmark's oldest standing wooden structure.
St Ib's Church is a Romanesque church in Roskilde on the Danish island of Zealand. It was first mentioned in 1291. The church was once richly decorated with frescos.
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Coordinates: 55°12′55″N14°45′01″E / 55.21528°N 14.75028°E
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