GARNISONS CHURCH, COPENHAGEN

GARNISONS CHURCH, SANKT ANNÆ PLADS, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Garnisons Church was built between 1703 and 1706 as the official church of the Danish army. The simple, cruciform Baroque space in red brick frames a distinctive sense of calm – lofty, structured, and ceremonial. The double-sided gallery in two tiers, supported by classical columns, introduces a spatial rhythm that connects Protestant tradition with architectural clarity.

Previously, the galleries were lit by exposed light sources mounted directly on the ceiling, resulting in a diffuse and inefficient light. Today, architect and lighting designer Marianne Tuxen has developed a specially designed glass dome mounted on a porcelain socket. The dome’s shape and integrated bands create a refined light distribution that reduces glare while adding a quiet decorative layer. With clear LED filament lamps, the concave shape of the glass is accentuated, giving the light direction and presence.

Viewed from the nave, the gallery with its muted grey colour reads as a calm and harmonious horizontal element – now strengthened visually by the lighting concept.

Both altar and organ are separately lit with focused spots. The Baroque altar from 1724 – built in brick and clad in Norwegian marble – features a painting of the crucifixion flanked by statues of virtue and love. Formerly over-illuminated, the lighting is now refined and optimised with improved CRI, allowing the details to stand out with clarity.

The large Baroque organ above the entrance has been given its own lighting, making it a powerful visual conclusion to the church’s central axis.

The lectern is equipped with a custom-designed lighting solution, also by Marianne Tuxen. The fixture is continuously dimmable and delivers both downward manuscript lighting and upward-facing illumination – creating intimacy and focus around the speaker.

Today, Garnisons Church presents a lighting design that balances function and liturgical presence – allowing the architecture to breathe in both everyday use and ceremonial moments.

Alter og orgel er særskilt belyst med spots. Alteret fra 1724 – i tegl og norsk marmor – rummer et korsfæstelsesmaleri flankeret af dyden og kærligheden. Tidligere var alteret overbelyst; nu er lyset justeret og CRI optimeret, så detaljerne træder klart frem.

Det store barokorgel over indgangen er iscenesat med egen lyskarakter og danner en stærk afslutning på kirkens hovedakse.

Prædikestolens pult er forsynet med en specialudviklet løsning, også designet af Marianne Tuxen. Den er trinløst regulerbar og leverer både manusbelysning og opadrettet lys, der skaber nærvær og fokus omkring den talende.

Garnisonskirken fremstår i dag med en belysning, der balancerer funktion og liturgi – og giver arkitekturen mulighed for at leve i både daglig brug og højtidelighed.