SPACE & LIGHT
C. F. HANSEN
After the bombardment of Copenhagen by the English in 1807, C. F. Hansen was appointed with the task of reconstructing the design of the Church of Our Lady [Vor Frue Domkirke] in Copenhagen.
Hansen's design for the Church of Our Lady reflects the ideals of the Enlightenment, emphasising clarity, order, and rationality. The neoclassical style, rooted in ancient Greece and Rome, symbolises a return to classical virtues and humanistic values. This design philosophy was particularly resonant in post-Napoleonic Europe, where there was a desire to reconnect with the perceived stability and grandeur of the classical past.
In the Church of Our Lady, C.F. Hansen broke down the interior walls, columns, and pillars; the ceiling is barrel-vaulted, and the palette is light and monochrome. The light is a crucial factor, and one’s eyes are drawn towards the apse, light streams down from above and from the windows to the south, forming and underscoring the geometrical elements of the room.
As part of the cathedral’s exhibition C. F. Hansen – A Master of Space & Light, MANND used 360-imagery and 3D scanning to reveal his vision of the current design of the church, along with some of his wishes that remain unseen.
See what we did further down on this page!
Augmented Reality / 360 images / Web XR / 3D scanning / Photogrammetry
Client Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen (Vor Frue Kirke)
Purpose To show the vision of the architect C. F. Hansen
Year 2023
360°
Vision vs Reality
Natural Light
C. F. Hansen is important in the way in which Neoclassicism used the light from nature as a compositional tool. He had been inspired by the dramatic entry of dazzling cones of light.
In the Church of Our Lady, C.F. Hansen broke down the interior walls, columns, and pillars; the ceiling is barrel-vaulted, and the palette is light and monochrome. The light is a crucial factor, and one’s eyes are drawn towards the apse, light streams down from above and from the windows to the south, forming and underscoring the geometrical elements of the room.
C.F. Hansen was a master of space and light.
Although his vision has largely come to fruition, the natural light doesn't shine through as fully as intended because some openings were later covered by the organ pipes on the right, installed in 2002.
The original opening cast a concentrated opening of light to the choir.
Photo: Kbhbilleder
Alternating Space & Light
Hansen envisioned for people’s experience in the cathedral to change depending on the viewpoint they took.
Upon entering the cathedral, you are led through several rooms of varying sizes and light, before you stand under the triple arch.
From there you can experience the great room of the church with arcades, columns, a semicircular apse and, not least, Thorvaldsen’s Christ on the altar.
The necessary oak chairs
C.F. Hansen wanted a ’pure’ church room with the Apostles in niches and a painting as an altarpiece and probably ideally as seen on the left – without benches in the middle aisle.
In the presentation of the church from 1818 there is mention of specific chairs in the arcades at floor level and in the gallery., but neither benches nor chairs are indicated for the middle aisle. However, it had to be accepted that seating would be necessary, and in 1828 P. Kretz delivered the 22 double church benches made of oak as seen on the right.
Alternating space and light
These two views from the gallery and the balcony give a clear impression of Hansen’s vision and why he is a master of space and light.
When walking around the church, you will experience the contrast between the vastness of space with bright, natural light from large windows and small corridors with low ceilings and limited natural light.
Close Proximity
You can see the area around the church, surrounded by buildings that had been either designed by Hansen himself or erected in harmony with his ideals.
From the view in front of the church, when looking down Nørregade to Nytorv you can see Copenhagen Court House in the distance – another famous building designed in the Greek Style by Hansen (1805-1815).
From the view behind the church, you can see The Metropolitan School, also designed by Hansen (1810-1816).
The View From Above
From above the bell tower, you can experience an incredible view of Copenhagen and the adjacent buildings, designed by Hansen. This view is not open to the public but can be seen here in 360 on a bright, beautiful spring morning.
Explore the 3D Models
Apart from immersive 360-images to be experienced in AR, MANND also created some 3D models for the exhibition.
The Chosen Greek Style
Hansen drew the Church of Our Lady in the ‘chosen Greek Style’.
To Hansen, it was more a matter of the approach to the antiquity and the classical monuments than following antiquity rules 1:1. Instead, he peeled away unnecessary details, and simplified profiles and structures, but highlighted constructions.
On the stairwell of the second gallery, the top bannister is formed with clear inspiration from the temples in Paestum.
We generated a 3D model of this top bannister to be experienced in AR.
Rented Key and Record Book
Back in the 1800s, it was usual for families to rent a key to a specific church bench in the Church of Our Lady. That way, you always knew where you were sitting and were assured a seat on Sundays.
This specific key unlocked a door in such a bench in the Church of Our Lady. The key belonged to Julie and her husband, as written on the key-chain:
Julies og min nøgle til Holmens og Frue Kirke // Julie’s and my key to Holmen’s and Church of Our Lady
The book is the record of those who rented such keys towards the end of the 1800s. It is open on the page where the family above is mentioned next to number 7.
We used the technique of photogrammetry to generate this 3D model of the book and key.
The angel baptismal font
A few years ago, all the apostles were scanned and made into 3D models. It was a big part of Hansen’s vision, that the apostles should be kept in niches in the walls. These 3D models have been integrated into the 3D model of the church that you can see in 360 images on the links above.
However, at the time of the last scanning, the iconic angel baptismal font was omitted from the scanning. Therefore, we decided to scan the angel and add it to the church model. This was done through the process of photogrammetry. See and interact with the model here or press the link to place it in AR.
Credits
The exhibition is sponsored by Augustinus Fonden, Dreyers Fond, I.F. Lemvigh Müllers Fond & Vor Frue Kirkes Menighedsråd
Text & idea Susanne Wenningsted-Torgard & Jens Fleischer
AR MANND
360 footage Rebekka H. Mikkelsen & Maria H. Engermann, MANND
3D scanning Rebekka H. Mikkelsen & Maria H. Engermann, MANND
3D modelling MANND; Quad Studio
Photos Thomas Roland; Vor Frue Arkiv
Drawings: Nationalmuseet [Nat.Mus]; Thorvaldsens Museum [Th.Mus]
Paintings Statens Museum for Kuns [SMK]
Drawings & Photos Københavns Museum [Kbh.Mus]; Kbhbilleder.dk [Kbhbilleder]; Det Kgl. Bibliotek [KB]
Drawings & Archives Rigsarkivet [RA]
Collection of Architectural Drawings Det Kgl. Bibliotek, Kunstbiblioteket