Nexø Church 2.03

Nexø Church is the parish church of Nexø, a port on the eastern coast of the Danish island of Bornholm.HistoryIn the absence of records, it is difficult to date the building precisely, although it appears to have been established at the end of the Middle Ages, initially as a chapel for seafarers. Indeed, it was dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. The church consists of a rectangular Late Gothic nave and a Renaissance tower. The porch on the north side dates from 1745. In 1760, the nave was extended with a northern wing. The southern porch was rebuilt in 1777 and in 1800, a sacristy was added at the eastern end of the nave. The walls of the nave were heightened by some 2 metres in 1731.ArchitectureThe nave is built of fieldstone, the walls now reaching a height of 5.10 metres. The original windows no longer exist. The more recent straight-edged windows over the porches are probably designed as gallery windows. The other large wooden-framed Empire windows were added around 1850.The three lower storeys of the tower were built in the 16th century in the same material as the nave. The rather low tower room which opens into the church probably used to reach up to the top of the first floor. It has a curved window to the south and one with straight edges to the west. The eastern side of the tower's first floor is only closed off by the organ casing. The third storey is half-timbered on the eastern side. The bell storey is of half-timbered oak. The roof which was tiled in 1855 has a copper spire from 1910.