A few weeks ago we wrapped up the Instructor-Led version of the A Sense of Place eCourse. To encourage the participants to follow through and complete a final project, I offered up guest post slots on my blog. The content was wide open, whatever they were inspired by from the eCourse. I’m excited to share the posts from class participants this week, and today is the first. Please leave lots of comment love for the guest authors!
A Sense of Place: Sorø Abbey Church
Kat Sloma has generously suggested her participants in the wonderful class A Sense of Place to make their final project into a blog post on her blog. The idea inspired me to go deeper with a bunch of photos from a certain place and try to put together the knowledge and inspiration, I’ve got from the class.
Recently I visited Sorø Abbey Church and was impressed by it’s beauty and age. Sorø Abbey Church is one of the largest medieval churches in Denmark. It was built by the Cistercians in the last part of the 1100s. The church remains an excellent example of early brick Gothic architecture.
Walking around on my own with my camera, I was drawn into the atmosphere and the presence of history. Three Danish kings are buried here. For centuries it has been a center for the influential noble White-family, including the famous Bishop Absalon. He was engaged in the building of the church, but died in 1201, the same year the church was finished. Of course he is also buried here.
My attention was especially drawn to the choir seats. They put a smile to my face, because they are full of engraved names and images dating hundreds of years back. I can imagine bored pupils and monks making the graffiti of that time. Guys like Jacob and Sveno Mathhiae from 1694 suddenly felt very present.
Experiencing a place like this through the lens always make me look for small details, a fact the class clarified for me. And this huge church is a haven of details. For instance I noticed angels in several places. Below are some from the altar and another one on a very old carved wood door, quite similar in style.
The fact that this church has been here for more than 800 years is awe-inspiring. It has experienced the transition from a Catholic abbey church to a Lutheran parish church. There is a timeless feel to many of the objects, which I tried to pass on in the images.
I actually visited this church some years ago, but had no memory of the place. Bringing a camera this time made a huge difference. I had a deeper connection with the place and explored the place in a much more focused way, allowing myself to be drawn to all kind of images, I’m sure will stay with me.
My name is Ghita Katz Olsen. Since 2011 I’m head over heels in love with photography. I live in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, Europe. You can view more of my work on my Flickr photostream.
Would you like to share an A Sense of Place guest post? You can too! The only requirement is that you’ve taken the eCourse, either the Instructor Led version or the new On Demand version that is now available. Contact Kat for the rest of the details.
I love your post and your images Ghita. They really convey the feeling of the place. I also share your experience that visiting a place with a camera allows me to remember it so much better than without. Thanks for sharing your place with us.
Beautiful pictures of the church and the details, Ghita Katz Olsen has captured by the lens.
Greetings from Denmark //Lisbet
Wonderful photos Ghita. What amazes me are the arches, the shot of the long hallway was just perfect. It draws me in to the end of the hallway, yet I am enthralled by the series of arches. Also the engraving on the benches was the perfect timeless piece.
How fascinating to read. I felt drawn into it along with you.
Lovely post, Ghita. So good to see you here
A lovely post Ghita. I was drawn right into this beautiful space. If you are like me you almost become one with an historic place when you are visiting. Photography gives us such a wonderful chance to truly observe.
Excellent photos and descriptions. I feel I know something about the place and how it feels. I especailly like the image of the arches–I’m amazed at the colors in the columns.
Thank you for sharing your work.
I’m always astonished by the architectural accomplishments that were achieved by builders so long ago. I wonder how many of our modern-day churches will still be standing a few hundred years from now? I love the carved names and date – how wonderful that no one has ever tried to remove them or refinish them out of existence. It makes me smile to think that “boys will be boys” then as now. Thank you, Ghita, for this wonderful tour of a place I would never have experienced otherwise.