The Sand-Buried Church, Skagen

Nordjylland, Skagen · Denmark · Church

The congregation shovelled its way to the church door every Sunday as the sand rose — today only the tower shows, and the whole church lies buried underfoot.

St Laurentius' church was built in the late fourteenth century and was then the largest in Vendsyssel. Then came the sand drift. From the sixteenth century the dunes marched relentlessly eastward, and in the end the parishioners had literally to dig their way to the door every Sunday to reach the service. In 1795 Christian VII ordered the church closed; the nave was demolished and the tower left as a seamark. Today it rises alone from a pine plantation, whitewashed and mute, with the whole church buried beneath the feet of anyone who walks there. The saint it was dedicated to, Laurentius, is said to have been roasted on a gridiron for giving the church's treasures to the poor. Hans Christian Andersen had his hero Jørgen buried alive here in his tale of the dunes — and the sand is still there.

FAQ

Where is The Sand-Buried Church, Skagen located?

The Sand-Buried Church, Skagen is in Nordjylland, Skagen, Denmark.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.