Sct. Jacobi Church occupies an almost majestic position in the town centre of the oldest part of Varde. The church was completely renovated from floor to ceiling in 2016 with new chandeliers, a new floor, and new colours for the pews, organ, and altar rail. After the renovation, the church appears bright and welcoming.
The nave, chancel, and apse date from the Romanesque period around the year 1200. The tower was added in the late Middle Ages in the 15th century. However, the current design with a spire was not created until 1869. In the period 1809-12, the church was extended with two side wings, thereby giving it the ground plan of a cruciform church. The extension was built using reused bricks from the demolition of St. Nicolaj Church, Varde’s second church.
Today, the immediate impression is that the church “faces the wrong way” because it turns its back on the square, but by the entrance in the tower on the south side there is also a square, Kirkepladsen.
