Maribo CathedralThe cathedral has a lovely setting at Søndersø, beside the monastery ruins of the Bridgettine Order. King Erik of Pomerania established the monastery in 1416. It was financed by Queen Margrethe I, Denmark’s first female monarch. The church built in connection with the monastery was based on the regulations of ”The Holy St. Bridget of Vadstena”. Some years after the Reformation, in 1566, a monastery for female nobility was established. Now the old monastery church is the only remnant. It has been the cathedral of Lolland and Falster since the beginning of the 1800’s.
The church is the only hall church in Denmark. It consists of three almost equally high naves joined under a common roof. The portrait of holy St. Bridget, on an altarpiece, is probably the oldest remaining painting on canvas in Scandinavia. Maribo Cathedral contains priceless historical valuables. Among these are royal bibles and silver chalices. There are brochures explaining its exciting history available in the cathedral porch. Maribo Cathedral is visited by thousands of people each year. |