Vor Frue Kirke

Lonely Planet review

This cathedral is like a Russian matryoshka doll, opening to reveal multiple layers beneath the surface. The original cathedral was erected here shortly after 1060 and stood until about 1240, when it was replaced by the current Vor Frue Kirke. There's a triptych altar carved by Claus Berg in 1530, but the main treasure here is in the church basement - the vaulted crypt of the original cathedral (the oldest surviving church interior in Denmark).

Entered via the stairs beneath the chancel, the musty, atmospheric crypt was uncovered by chance in 1956 during a restoration by the national museum.

Vor Frue Kirke has yet another chapel, this one exhibiting early-16th-century frescoes. It can be entered through the garden courtyard: once inside the main church, take the first door on the left; in the courtyard, again take the first door on the left, then the door on the right.