August 6-9 2019: Copenhagen and The Hague

The London Temple is closed for six weeks from August 7 through September 14, 2019 for some major renovations, including replacement of the limestone stairways at the main entrance and the front (not currently used) entrance with granite.  Thus, with approval from the Temple Presidency and the Temple Department, we are able to do some traveling in Europe.  So this begins several weeks of travel for us.  Our first stop was Denmark.

Church of Our Lady

Once we landed in Copenhagen, we took the Metro to our hotel, dropped our luggage and our first destination was the Church of Our Lady.  

Originally the Collegiate Church of St. Mary (1187 AD), it was part of the University of Copenhagen since universities were established by the Catholic Church to train clergy.  During the Protestant Reformation in the 1530's, the Catholic appellation of saint was dropped becoming The Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke) and the University became a center for Lutheran studies.  The actual building was destroyed by fire several times (1314, 1585 and 1728).  Each time it was rebuilt.

Sketch of the Church of Our Lady in the 18th Century in the traditional medieval style.

In September 1807, the cathedral fell victim to the bombardment of Copenhagen by the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.  This time it was rebuilt in the comparatively simple Neo-Classical style using some of the surviving walls.  Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) was commissioned to decorate the interior with statues of Jesus Christ and the apostles with Judas Iscariot replaced by the Apostle Paul.  In 1924, the Church of Our Lady was designated as the national cathedral of Denmark.

Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, the Danish national Cathedral.

Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen from the front.  Note that Sister Burkinshaw is standing to the right of the far left pillar of the portico.

Close-up of the front of Our Lady Church with statues on the left of King David and on the right of Moses with the stone tablets.  The relief on the frieze of the portico is John the Baptist preaching in the desert by Thorvaldsen.  Behind the pillars and above the main door is another Thorvaldsen sculpture of Christ triumphantly entering Jerusalem.  

Sister Burkinshaw inside the Church of Our Lady with the Thorvaldsen sculptures of the Christus in the center and the Twelve Apostles along the sides.  The lighting makes it an almost surreal experience and despite there being several groups of people, it was very reverent.

Sister Burkinshaw admiring the Christus and the apostle statues from the balcony of the Church of Our Lady.

Starting at the back of the church moving right then left, here are the twelve apostles sculpted by Thorvaldsen and a description of the symbolism represented.

Simon Zelotes (Simon Zelotes): The saw held in front represents the tradition of Simon Zelotes’s death in Persia.

Bartholomew (Batholomeaus):  The knife being held conveys the legend of his death at the command of the king of Armenia.

Judas Thaddeus (Judas Thaddaeus):  This statue holds a halberd, which is a long-handled medieval weapon combining a spear and a battle-ax. Stories have Judas Thaddeus suffering a martyr’s death in Persia.

Thomas (Thomas):  Thomas holds a builder’s square, given that an ancient story has Thomas building a palace for King Gudaphara in India. Since the “doubting” Thomas didn’t initially believe in the first reports of the Savior’s Resurrection until he touched the wounds of crucifixion, the square symbolizes his belief in things “measured and weighed.”

Andrew, brother of Peter (Andreas Frater Petri):  Portrayals often show Andrew with a book or scroll and accompanied by an X-shaped cross suggesting or representing the legend of his death in Patras, Greece.

James, son of Alpheus (Iacobus Alphaeus Filius):  Tradition has this James—who is shown holding a staff or a fuller’s club—being stoned and beaten to death with such a club near the temple in Jerusalem.

James, brother of John (Iacobus Frater Iohannes):  James is depicted holding a shepherd’s staff or walking stick and sporting hat behind his left shoulder. Tradition has James preaching in Spain, with many Christian pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago route to Santiago de Compostela, believed by some to be the Apostle’s burial location.

Philip (Philippus):  The statue in Copenhagen is holding a small cross, since tradition has Philip often preaching of Christ’s crucifixion as well as being crucified upside down.

John (Johannes):  The lack of a beard underscores the youth of John, and the writing slate and pencil symbolize his role as an evangelist and one of the authors of the four Gospels. At his feet is an eagle, which was one of the winged creatures mentioned in Revelation 4:7, with John the author of the final book of the New Testament.

Matthew (Matthaeus):  Like fellow evangelist John, the statue of Matthew holds a writing slate and a pencil. Beside the right foot is a bag of money, with Matthew’s original profession being a tax collector.

Peter (Petrus):  The keys held in Peter’s right hand are symbolic of Matthew 16:19, where Christ tells Peter, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Paul (Paulus):  In collections of Apostle statues, Paul often takes the place of Judas Iscariot. In his left hand, he holds a sword. Traditions have Paul suffering death under Emperor Nero sometime between 62 and 68 AD. As a Roman citizen, Paul was spared crucifixion and is believed to have been beheaded instead.

In the alcove of the church, behind the altar is the Christus by Bertel Thorvaldsen, sculpted in 1829, at the very time of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.  Above the portico is the reference to Mark 9:7: "This is my beloved Son: hear him." (DENNE ER MIN SON DEN ELSKELIGE HOER HAM).  In front of the Christus is the angel of baptism.

Thorvaldsen’s statue of Christ above the altar captures the attention and sets the tone for the entire church with His welcoming gesture.  The caption at the base of the sculpture is Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me."  Thorvaldsen showing Christ as a resurrected Savior rather than suffering on the cross was quite revolutionary at the time (1829) but we would call it "inspired".

Elder Burkinshaw in front of the statue of Peter, which reminded him of a story about this same statue many years ago when he was serving as a missionary in Brazil (see below).

Elder Boyd K. Packer related the following story ("The Shield of Faith", General Conference, April 1995):

"In 1976 following a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, President Spencer W. Kimball invited us to a small church to see the statues of Christ and the Twelve Apostles by Bertel Thorvaldsen. The “Christus” stands in an alcove beyond the altar. Standing in order along the sides of the chapel are the statues of the Twelve, with Paul replacing Judas Iscariot.

"President Kimball told the elderly caretaker that at the very time Thorvaldsen was creating those beautiful statues in Denmark, a restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ was taking place in America with apostles and prophets receiving authority from those who held it anciently.

"Gathering those present closer to him, he said to the caretaker, “We are living Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ,” and pointing to Elder Pinegar he said, “Here is a Seventy like those spoken of in the New Testament.”

"We were standing near the statue of Peter, whom the sculptor depicted holding keys in his hand, symbolic of the keys of the kingdom. President Kimball said, “We hold the real keys, as Peter did, and we use them every day.”

"Then came an experience I will never forget. President Kimball, this gentle prophet, turned to President Johan H. Benthin, of the Copenhagen Stake, and in a commanding voice said, “I want you to tell every prelate in Denmark that they do not hold the keys! I HOLD THE KEYS!”

"There came to me that witness known to Latter-day Saints but difficult to describe to one who has not experienced it—a light, a power coursing through one’s very soul—and I knew that, in very fact, here stood the living prophet who held the keys."

Our visit to the Church of Our Lady was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of our primary reasons to visit Copenhagen. There was a feeling reverence that accompanied this place with it's representation of the Savior and His apostles. One can not help but be impressed with the power of the priesthood and the model for The Church of Jesus Christ. Sister Burkinshaw commented that the stark difference between the number of visitors here, which were relatively few and the number waiting to enter Travoli Garden (an amusement park down the road) was probably an indication of the world today and what we focus on.


Other Copenhagen Sites
From the Church of Our Lady, we walked down the river

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw in front of the statue of Hans Christian Andersen near Copenhagen City Hall, along Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard, a main thoroughfare of Copenhagen.  Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875) was a beloved Danish author of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems.  However, he is best remembered for his fairy tales which include "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Little Match Girl," and "Thumbelina." His stories have inspired ballets, plays, and animated and live-action films.  He is considered a Danish "National Treasure."

Sister Burkinshaw in front of the very popular sculpture of "The Little Mermaid" along the Nyhavn (Danish for New Harbor) which is the waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sister Burkinshaw sitting by the side of Gefion Fountain.  The fountain depicts the mythical story of the creation of the island of Zealand on which Copenhagen is located.  According to Ynglinga saga, the Swedish king Gylfi promised Gefjun (Gefion) the territory she could plow in a night. She turned her four sons into oxen, and the territory they plowed out of the earth was then thrown into the Danish sea between Scania and the island of Fyn.

Sister Burkinshaw eating a danish pastry in Copenhagen Denmark!  What could be more original than that!  Actually, we learned that danish pastries actually were brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers in the 1850's when Danish pastry workers went on a long-term wage strike.

Here is the Marriott Hotel where we stayed on the Nyhavn waterfront.  We saw people swimming, kayaking and boating along the river.  We enjoyed early morning and evening walks along the harbor.

The Nyhavn waterfront from our hotel room.

Sister Burkinshaw at the Lego store in Copenhagen airport.  Lego's originated in Denmark and they have some very interesting sets here.

Elder Burkinshaw in front of the Lego store in the Copenhagen airport.  The Lego Group began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891–1958), a Danish carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. In 1934, his company came to be called "Lego", derived from the Danish phrase leg godt, which means "play well".

The Copenhagen Temple
We attended a 6:30pm endowment session at the Copenhagen Temple and it turned out that of the 12 people who were part of the session, only one was a Danish speaker so the session was held in English and we were invited to serve as the witness couple.  It is a beautiful temple both inside and out.

Sister Burkinshaw in front of the Copenhagen Temple.  The temple is a total renovation of the neo-classical Priorvej chapel, which was built in 1931 and had been dedicated by Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  It was built in the Neo-classical style with columns in the front.  Most of the renovation of the building was done on the inside. The church wanted to keep the outside looking as it did originally.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw with the obligatory selfie in front of the Copenhagen Temple.

A side view of the Copenhagen Temple.

The fountain along the side of the Copenhagen Temple.

Frederiksborg Castle
Frederiksborg Castle is a palatial complex in Hillerød, Denmark built in the early 17th century a royal residence for King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway.  After a serious fire in 1859, the castle was rebuilt on the basis of old plans and paintings.  The building and its apartments were fully restored by 1882 when it was reopened to the public as the Danish Museum of National History.

Fredeiksborg Castle adjacent to Slotssoen (Castle Lake) in Hellerod, Denmark, about 40 miles north of Copenhagen.

Sister Burkinshaw in front of Neptune's fountain at Frederiksborg Castle.  The fountain, created in 1622, is considered to be the castle's sculptural masterpiece symbolizing Denmark's position as a leading Nordic power in the early 17th century with the central figure of the sea god Neptune as a representation of the Danish king and tritons piping their seashells decorate the outer basin.

The chapel, consecrated in 1617, is also part of the museum. It is the best preserved part of the Renaissance complex with the six-vaulted stucco ceiling borne by pillars rising from the galleries.

The Chapel's most significant artifact is the organ, built by Esajas Compenius in 1610 and installed by him in 1617 shortly before his death.

The oldest organ in Denmark, it has 1,001 wooden pipes. Its original manually driven blower has been preserved. The instrument is decorated with ebony, ivory and silver.

Carl Bloch's Paintings of the Life of Christ
Carl Bloch (1834-1890) was commissioned to produce 23 paintings for the King's Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace of scenes from the life of Christ.  His contemporary, Hans Christian Andersen encouraged Bloch with these words: "Write on the canvas; write your seal on immortality. Then you will become noble here on earth."  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made extensive use of Carl Bloch's paintings in meetinghouses and temples. The Church has also used Bloch's paintings as models for the color, light and overall set design as well as the movement of the actors in many of the films scenes, such as the 2000 film "The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd".  A divine hand can be seen in Bloch's inspiring art as another element of the Restoration.

Sister Burkinshaw with the Carl Bloch paintings of the Life of Christ.  We were disappointed that the museum has chosen to also place the King's altarpiece in front of many of the paintings, blocking them from view.  This is an unfortunate example of being distracted from the object of our worship, the Savior, by the mode of worship.

Sister Burkinshaw with additional Carl Bloch paintings of the Savior, many which will appear quite familiar.

Sister Burkinshaw with additional Carl Bloch paintings from the Life of Christ.

The Great Hall

A painting of Absalon in 1169 toppling the god Svantevit of the Wends , a Slavic people who plagued the Christian Danes through piracy and plunder.  Absalon became the archbishop of Denmark and was the founder of Copenhagen and an important figure in the Christianization of his nation through crusades against heathen nations. 

The Great Hall of Frederiksborg Castle, which is located above the chapel.  The walls are lined with amazing tapestries depicting important events in the life of King Christian IV.

The Great Hall is a replica of the hall in the time of King Christian IV, equipped with all the magnificence the King had at his disposal. 

The Viking Ship Museum
Vikings were Norse (Scandinavian, i.e. from modern-day Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) seafarers, mainly speaking the Old Norse language.  During the Viking Age (793–1066 AD), the Vikings explored Europe by its seas and rivers for trade, plunder, colonization, and conquest.  During this period, the Vikings settled in Greenland, Newfoundland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Normandy, Estonia, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Isle of Man, the Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and Italy.  Their advantage was their longships.

A model of a Viking longship (note that the Vikings did not have the GPS shown on the stern of this ship! ;-).

A modern version of the Viking longship.

Sister Burkinshaw in front of a model of the longship which gave the Viking's superiority on the seas.

The Viking age ended when William the Conqueror (ironically a descendant of Norsemen) defended against the Vikings at the Battle of Hastings and established himself as King of England as well as Normandy.

Back in Denmark, Gorm the Old (900 - 958 AD) who had ruled as King was succeeded by his son, Harald Bluetooth (930 - 986 AD), who converted to Christianity, was able to unify many of the fragmented settlements into the precursor of Denmark.  Incidently, the Bluetooth wireless technology that unites electronic devices was named after Harald Bluetooth who united the tribes of Denmark into a single kingdom. 

This Viking Ship Museum poster relates that the current monarch of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II, is a direct descendant of Gorm the Old, making Danish monarchy the oldest kingdom of the world. 

Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral (1200 AD) is the Lutheran Church of Denmark's house of worship which has been the main burial site for Danish monarchs since the 15th century and there is a crypt there awaiting Queen Margrethe II who is age 79.  It is located in the city of Roskilde, about 22 miles west of Copenhagen.  It is unique as the first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick, it encouraged the spread of the Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe.

Roskilde Cathedral, the first Gothic-style cathedral built with bricks and the resting place of all Danish monarch for the past 500 years.

Sister Burkinshaw in the Roskilde Cathedral.

Note the traditional medieval Gothic design but done uniquely with brick here in the Roskilde Cathedral.

Altar of the Roskilde Cathedral.

Organ and pulpit in the Roskilde Cathedral

Sepulchre of Queen Margarete I (1353 – 1412) founder of the Kalmar Union, which spanned Denmark, Norway and Sweden for over a century.

Crypt (black with silver) and painting in the chapel of King Christian IV (1577 – 1648).  The painting commemorates a battle in the Torstenson War where King Christian IV was wounded in 13 places including the loss of his right eye when a cannonball exploded nearby knocking him to the deck.  Instantly he jumped to his feet again, cried with a loud voice that it was well with him, and set every one an example of duty by remaining on deck till the fight was over.

The Hague Temple
After two days in Denmark, we flew to Amsterdam and via a series of buses, trains, trams and long walks, we made it to the Hague Temple which has a very similar layout to the Oklahoma City Temple.  When we arrived, we found a large group of full-time missionaries at the temple.  The group was all the new missionaries who had arrive the week before and their trainers.  We were again invited to serve as the witness couple for the endowment session.  There were 53 persons which was about the limit we used to have in Oklahoma City as well.

Sister Burkinshaw in front of the Hague Temple.

Another view of the Hague Temple along with a wedding party on the grounds.

Following our session, we visited with the Temple President, Hendrik Dorenbosch and his wife Judith who are from South Jordan, Utah.  We discovered that President Travis Campbell from Oklahoma City had been to the Hague Temple last year.  The Hague Temple, like the Brisbane Australia Temple (which we visited in 2013) have a parking garage underneath the temple, which President Campbell would have liked to have in Oklahoma City although we're sure the cost of land is a little more reasonable in Oklahoma City making it difficult to justify! ;-)

Traveling at times seems very chaotic and troublesome but our visits to the Temples in Copenhagen and The Hague provided a welcome respite.  We conclude with the words from "There is Peace in Christ" which remind us of whom we learn in the House of the Lord.

There is peace in Christ
When we learn of him.
Feel the love he felt for us
When he bore our sins.

Listen to his words
Let them come alive.
If we know Him as He is
There is peace in Christ.

He gives us hope
When hope is gone.
He give us strength
When we can't go on.

He give us shelter
In the storms of life.
When there's no peace in earth
There is peace in Christ.

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw