St. Jacobi Church

A focal point with a slightly crooked position

St. Jacobi Church stands by the Market Square in Varde's old town centre, but it does not quite behave like a market-square church. Seen from the square, it can almost seem as if it turns its back on the town; the entrance is by the tower on the south side, where Kirkepladsen forms its own small space around the church.

A bright space with old layers

Inside, the first impression is not a dark Middle Ages interior, but a bright church room with new chandeliers, a new floor, and coordinated colours on the pews, organ, and altar rail. Beneath the bright appearance, the oldest building parts still remain as a Romanesque core of nave, chancel, and apse, later expanded into a cruciform church when Varde had to gather its church life in one larger church.

Details for the curious

The church rewards those who look for details: a Renaissance altarpiece with many inscriptions, an unusual baptismal font in metal, and a Baroque pulpit with alabaster reliefs. Outside, the tower places the church firmly in the townscape, and the carillon sends hymn melodies out over Varde several times daily. South of the church, the old cemetery survives partly as a park-like area, while the open space around the building makes it clear why the church still dominates the oldest part of the town.