Geopark: Horne Kirke
No matter where you are in the western part of the South Fyn Archipelago, Horne Kirke (Horne Church) is within view.
Situated 53.5 m above sea level and crowning the high-lying, complex ice-marginal and dead-ice landscape of Young Baltic age on central Horneland, this large building is a visible evidence of the political circumstances in the Early Middle Ages and of the efforts that were put into unifying the country.
The church was built around the year 1200 and is part of the story of the early Crown’s efforts to consolidate royal power in the exposed coastal area by among other things, erecting castles and other monuments.
The round church, the only one on Fyn, constitutes the centre of the current church building. It has been preserved with its pointed roof and distinct walls. The round church measures 17 m in diameter, and the walls are upwards of 2.3 m thick. During the Late Middle Ages, parts of the nave were added in sections that today it appears as a contiguous Gothic longhouse.
At a time when most churches had no or square towers, Horne Kirke with its exceptional visibility and pointed roof must have been an undeniable symbol of the presence of a strong royal power and thus a warning to any challenger. But perhaps Horne Kirke is better understood as a landmark than as an actual defence.