Ribe Cathedral Denmark

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After listening her story, the flying girl of Ribe let me to visit "her" cathedral. When I was inside the cathedral, out of the rain, her story guided me to learn more about the cathedral.
Ribe Cathedral
There has been a church on this site since the Danish King Horik II in 855 gave Ansgar the missionary permission to build the first church in Denmark. Later, this first wooden church was replaced by a stone church, which was probably left untouched while, from about 1150, the present Ribe Cathedral was raised above and around it.
Ribe Cathedral is Denmark's most significant building from the early Middle Ages. The first phases of construction took place from the middle of the 12th century and work reached its preliminary completion in the early 13th century. The Cathedral was built like most Christian cathedrals at the time: as a basilica, that is, a long nave supported by columns with two aisles to the east leading up to the raised choir, the sacred significance of which was often underlined by a rounded cupola = the celestial sphere.
Romanesque and Gothic style
During the period of its construction, however, the building style changed from Romanesque to Gothic. What was initially planned to be a flat ceiling was replaced with four large vaulted arches in the Gothic style, and the arched lancet windows were also Gothic. From about 1300, a number of side chapels were added around the Cathedral. As in the case of so many other conversions in Protestant times, in Ribe these side chapels either disappeared or were joined together, so that they now form two additional side aisles, making Ribe Cathedral Denmark's only five-aisled church. Over time, other buildings were added, which later disappeared, partly because materials from their demolition were used to maintain the building itself, and partly because the last of them were removed during the great restoration of 1880-1914.
Today, the Cathedral largely remains as it was designed by the architect behind this restoration, HC Amberg. Most importantly the space around the Cathedral was excavated; from the Middle Ages onwards, the level of the street around the Cathedral gradually rose by some 1.5 metres. This posed a threat to the building, which gradually sank beneath the level of the ground surrounding it, which in turn began to damage the brickwork. In addition, the original Maria Tower to the south, which had been demolished about 1790, was now reconstructed according to Amberg's instructions. Generally speaking, this was a very comprehensive restoration, and a large number of steps were taken to preserve the Cathedral. In this way the continued existence of the old building was assured, though maintaining it still calls for considerable efforts.
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church
In Catholic times, Ribe Cathedral was dedicated to Our Lady (Mary, the mother of Jesus), but belongs today to the Evangelical-Lutheran National Church of Denmark, while still functioning as the parish church of the Ribe Cathedral parish, with its approximately 3,200 members, and has the mother church of Denmark's largest geographical diocese, the Diocese of Ribe. At the Reformation in 1536, the Danish church became subject to the monarch. The Danish constitution of 1849 granted it a certain amount of autonomy and, designating it 'The Danish People's Church' (Den Danske Folkekirke), determined that it should be supported by the state. Members of the National Church of Denmark pay church tax, which in addition to their membership provides access to free weddings, funerals and other church services. In Denmark, each parish has its own elected parish council, which is responsible for the running of the church and the entire business of the parish. In almost all parishes, in addition to weekly services, this also includes concerts, lectures and other activities of a social and cultural nature.
The diocese and the bishop have the right to use the Cathedral for the diocese's own activities, such as the ordinations of pastors and church services for the parish councils of the diocese. In addition, the bishop regularly officiates as preacher and celebrant at normal Sunday services.
(www.ribe-domkirke.dk/visit/cathedral)