Venø has Denmark’s smallest church

In 2010, the church Venø Kirke officially won the title as the smallest in Denmark. Its outside measurements are 6.3 x 12 metres (20 x 39 ft.), and inside it is no bigger than a one-room apartment in Copenhagen. If the churchgoers huddle close together, 55 people can sit in the church whose inside area numbers 41.2 square metres (443 square feet).

Denmark’s smallest church was mentioned for the first time in 1512. Back then, the ownership of Venø was shared between a number of estates, but in 1751, the church was allotted its own priest and parish. The parsonage was built, and the first priest hired. As was the case in many places in Denmark, the priest also functioned as the island’s schoolteacher, and this was the case all the way to the beginning of 2000 when the school was closed.

Venø still has its own priest, and today the church is an important gathering point for the islanders. In the church, you can find two plaques showing a list of Venø’s priests since 1750, and something indicates that it was not always easy to make a priest stay on the island.

Venø Kirke may be the smallest in Denmark, but it is still worth a visit. Large parts of the church were renewed in 2016 with a great emphasis on craftsmanship. During the restoration, materials, craftsmanship and techniques were in focus. The style is simple and functional; try out the church bench, it is surprisingly comfortable.

The churchyard also has a so-called lapidarium (Latin for “a collection of stones”) with really old and preserved gravestones from Venø. The churchyard is thought to be older than the church, and as such the inscriptions on the preserved gravestones bear witness to life on Venø that has Denmark’s smallest church.

Read more stories from Venø or explore exciting stories from other places. 
Learn more about Venø Harbor here.

Source: The residents' association VenøBoen.