St. Hans Church, Odense

The Saint Hans Church was first mentioned in 1295 and was built by the Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of St. John. Not much has been preserved of the original building, as it was rebuilt after being destroyed in 1636 and then restored twice.

Sct. Hans Church is a red stone Knights Hospitaller monastery church right in the centre of Odense, close to Kongens Have and Odense Castle. When the church was built, it was located in the northernmost part of Odense, which is what the city looked like in the Middle Ages. The earliest mention of the church is from 1295, when the church was actually Sct. Michael's Church. Later, in 1329, Sct. Hans Monastery is referred to in writing. The church is built in the Gothic style and has some fine details, including an outside pulpit on the south side, where services could probably be held for lepers and outlaws who were not allowed to come to church. During World War II, the church's two pastors used the outside pulpit for a number of devotions for the Odense citizens in attendance. Not much remains of the original church, which was last modernized three times in 1997-98.The current church contains a unique collection of large and beautifully decorated gravestones used by the medieval nobility. They used to be embedded in the ground, but now they stand on the wall.Another striking detail is the altarpiece with the large painting by the painter Carl Bloch of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane from 1879.visitodense.de/turist/reiseplanung/st-hans-kirche-gdk1077439

The church has an outer pulpit on the south side where services for lepers and outlaws were probably held.