Osterlars Round Church

Osterlars is the biggest and probably the oldest of the four round churches on Bornholm, built in the twelfth century as a thick-walled white drum under a conical roof and propped by heavy stone buttresses added later. Inside, the whole building turns around a hollow central pillar, and the vault of that pillar carries a band of medieval frescoes running the full way round: creation, judgement and figures whose paint has faded to ochre and rust. A narrow stair climbs to the upper storey and the loft above the nave. The church is still in parish use, and the round plan that served as church and refuge in one is particular to this island.

History

Coins of 1157 found in the floor suggest the church was built around 1160, which makes it one of Denmark's oldest Romanesque churches and the largest, and possibly the oldest, of Bornholm's four round churches. Dedicated to St Lawrence, it has an apse, an oval chancel and a round nave of three storeys, 16 metres across outside, around a hollow central column six metres wide containing a small room known as the oven, and there is evidence that it was fortified, the top storey serving as an open shooting gallery. The double-arched apse resembles that of Lund Cathedral. The small Romanesque windows were enlarged after the Reformation, buttresses were added in the 16th century to support the outer wall, the conical roof was replaced in the 17th century, and the porch dates from 1870; the separate bell tower in the churchyard was the original entrance, and two runestones of around 1070 and 1100 stand at the church (Wikipedia, Østerlars Church).

What to look for

• The central pillar - the hollow round core with its band of medieval frescoes.
• The buttresses - the massive stone props leaning against the outer drum.
• The upper storey - the tight stair to the loft above the nave.
• The conical roof - the whitewashed drum under its steep shingled cap.

When to go

Open to visitors from spring to autumn, with limited hours outside the season and closure for services and funerals. Bring a card or coins for the small entry fee. The interior is dim, so a bright day helps the frescoes, and midday tour groups fill the small round space very quickly.

Things to know

It is one room, and twenty minutes covers it unless you read every panel. The frescoes are worn and hard to make out in the low light. The stair to the upper storey is tight, dark and awkward. It is easiest with a car, and the other three round churches are variations on the same idea rather than four separate visits.

Nearby

Gudhjem and its smokehouses are on the coast north; the Nylars and Nyker round churches lie west.

Key facts