Danish church of Paris, Lutheran church in 8th arrondissement, Paris, France.
The Danish Church of Paris, or Frederikskirken, stands at 17 rue Lord-Byron in the 8th arrondissement, on the same plot as the Maison du Danemark. Its light facade is divided by tall vertical pilasters, with four narrow window bays of dark gridded glazing above a pale stone base; a metal coat of arms marks a side panel. The church seats 110 people, and opening doors to the adjoining study can increase capacity.
Danish services in Paris began in 1660, when ambassadors from non-Catholic countries could hold worship in their own homes; from 1810 the priest was no longer tied to the embassy. In 1923 the Danes rented the Lutheran St. John's Church on Rue de Grenelle. The foundation stone of the present church was laid on 18 October 1953, and it opened on 24 April 1955 in the presence of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, who granted it the royal name Frederikskirken.
The church's Danish name, Frederikskirken, comes from King Frederik IX, who attended the opening on 24 April 1955 and granted it the right to bear a royal name. Services follow the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, and the building is formally owned by the Danish state.
The church stands at 17 rue Lord-Byron in the 8th arrondissement, on the same plot as the Maison du Danemark, whose other side faces the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The entrance is the dark wooden double door beneath the carved cross; the plaque beside it reads 17. The nave seats 110, and opening the doors to the adjoining study room adds capacity.
The church and the Maison du Danemark were both designed by architect Tyge Hvass (1885–1963). The two buildings stand on a historic axis that ends at the Grande Arche de la Défense, also designed by Danes, Johan Otto von Spreckelsen and engineer Erik Reitzel.
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