Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
battle; and his rather austere tomb (black with silver trim, surrounded by sev-
eral others).
Head into the nave and climb up the stairs into the choir area, taking in the
gorgeous gilded altarpiece and finely carved stalls. Behind the altar is the or-
nately decorated tomb of
Margrethe I,
the Danish queen who added Norway
to her holdings by marrying Norwegian King Håkon VI in 1363. Buried in a
nearby column are the supposed remains of Harold (read the Latin:
Haraldus
)
Bluetooth, who ruled more than a millennium ago (r. 958-985 or 986), made
Roskilde the capital of his realm, and converted his subjects to Christianity.
Go down the stairs and through the little door, and circle around the apse
(area behind the altar), noticing more fine tombs behind Margrethe's. Hook-
ing back around toward the front, dip into the many more chapels you'll
pass, including the grand, textbook-Neoclassical tomb of Frederik V (with
white pillars, gold trim, and mourning maidens in ancient Greek gowns); and
the room housing elaborate, canopied Baroque tombs. Imagine: Each king or
queen commissioned a tomb that suited his or her time—so different, yet all
so grand.
