Brarup Church

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Brarup Church (Danish: Brarup Kirke) is in the village of Brarup on the island of Falster, Denmark, about 5 km southwest of Nørre Alslev. It is a Late Romanesque brick church with an apse, chancel and nave. A Gothic tower and porch were added later, and the church has been an annex to Kippinge Church since before the Reformation.

The interior is famous for its frescoes from three periods. The apse (around 1275) contains the oldest Coronation of the Virgin fresco in Denmark. Around 1300, decorations were added to the chancel arch, and between 1500 and 1520, frescoes on the chancel and nave walls were painted, mainly by the Brarup workshop. The apse vault is half-domed, while the chancel and nave retain their original cross vaults. There are many saints and biblical scenes, including depictions of the Creation, the childhood of Jesus, the Passion and more.

Key artworks include a carved oak altarpiece from about 1450 showing the Crucifixion in the center, with the Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, St Catherine and John the Baptist on the back panels. A 14th-century crucifix on the west wall stands about 2.68 meters tall. The pulpit, carved in 1635 by Jørgen Ringnis in the Auricular style, features Moses, Christ the Savior and John the Baptist, with the four Evangelists now placed in the apse.

Ownership and administration have changed over the centuries. The church has long been linked to Kippinge Church and, in the Middle Ages, the Crown held rights to appoint clergy. In 1585 it owned land and factories. After the Reformation it remained Crown property until 1767, then passed into private hands briefly, was reacquired by the State by 1793, and was bought by the parish residents in 1868.