Munkbrarup Church

The Laurentiuskirche stands in the village of Munkbrarup in Schleswig-Flensburg district. Built in the late 12th century from carefully cut granite blocks, it is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. The church is named after Saint Lawrence of Rome and originally had no tower, only a semicircular apse. Its south portal copies the Petri-Portal of Schleswig Cathedral, with a carved lion-fight scene on the column capitals. Above the portal, the tympanum shows Christ blessing between Peter and Paul.

The building has survived fires, collapses and redesigns. In the 15th century the apse was removed to build the tower and porch. After a fire in 1565 the congregation used the abandoned monastery church at Glücksburg until the present church was restored in 1582 under Duke Johann. The new cross-vaulted ceiling replaced earlier Gothic and neo-Gothic changes. A 1936 restoration returned the exterior to its Romanesque appearance.

Inside, the granite font from about 1200 shows four men fighting a lion watched by a king who blesses them. The altar, moved from the Glücksburg monastery, contains a small alabaster altarpiece by Cornelis Floris II. A large carved crucifix from the same monastery hangs above the altar, its front showing a life-size Christ and its back a painted figure. The pulpit by Heinrich Ringerink depicts scenes from Christ’s life in relief. Three 17th-century portraits of pastors and a local painting of Salome with John the Baptist’s head complete the furnishings.