Haderslev Cathedral

Haderslev Cathedral (Danish: Haderslev Domkirke) also known as Our Lady's Church is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Haderslev located in Haderslev, Denmark

History

The wooden church

It is assumed that the oldest church building in Haderslev was probably made of wood, and it probably was located in the place where the present church building is found, but no traces of it have been found. Nonetheless, this is not recorded anywhere and is highly unlikely that there has been a wooden church before the quarantine church, believed to be built in the second half of the 1100s. The oldest traces of the city of Haderslev originates from the 1100s.

1100s

The first church building we know was a Romanesque quarantine church. It was undoubtedly built around the middle of the 1100s, and after its destruction a hundred years later its granite blocks were used in the foundation of the new church building and recycled by subsequent rebuilding. It is still seen in the choir and west wall of the present church, as well as at the entrance to the northern door of the church, and provides certain information about the shape and decoration of this church. It thus appears that it must have had a half-round crossing. A pebbly stone in the southwest corner of the present church deserves special attention, because as it is very likely the cornerstone.

1200s

It has previously been assumed that the quarantine church was destroyed in connection with the wars between King Eric IV of Denmark and King Abel in 1247, but there is no evidence that these wars affected the church. The destruction was probably more about tearing down the too modest old church to construct a larger church with an appearance that suited an expanding city. The quarantine church was replaced with a large brick church in mixed Romanesque-Gothic style. Remains of this church were later used in the construction of the Church of St Nicholas (Sct. Nicolai Kirke) in Aabenraa and Løgum Abbey the Cistercian abbey in Løgumkloster.

One can still imagine its exterior by considering...