MARGRETHE II - Ecclesiastical Textiles
QUEEN MARGRETHE:
"ON DUTY

From olden days it has been the custom of the Church to use vestments, i.e. chasubles, bishop's capes and frontals (coverings for the front of the altar). Quite early on, a tradition developed for associating certain colours with specific seasons of the ecclesiastical year. White belonged to Easter, Christmas and other special church festivals, violet to Lent and Advent, red to Whitsun and the days of martyrdom and green to Trinity and the following Sundays after Trinity.

Queen Margrethe has inherited her interest in church textiles from her mother Queen Ingrid. About 25 years ago, Queen Ingrid sewed together with her daughters Margrethe and Princess Benedicte three chasubles for Fredensborg chapel.


Red Cape,
Kronborg Castle Church
1984-1985
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Red Cape,
Kronborg Castle Church
1984-1985
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The chasuble for the chapel at Kronborg Castle was the first work of this kind Queen Margrethe was asked to undertake. Kronborg chapel is not a parish church but is used regularly one Sunday every month. The interior is broad, austere and a bit fortress-like, though light and beautifully furnished. Kronborg Castle, at the entrance to the Sound, constitutes a national symbol. Here the flag waves on the bastion from which gunfire salutes can be heard every time the Royal yacht sails past or on specific festive occasions, and here Danes who live and work abroad gather every year. Thus it seemed appropriate to choose the colour red to correspond with the blood-red colour of the naval flag - and to place a white cross on the back in the same proportions as the flag. A golden crown has been placed on the upper part of the cross, refering both to the name Kron-borg and to the resurrected, victorious Christ. The front of the chasuble displays a chalice wreath with a crown of thorns, because without Maundy Thursday and Good Friday there would be no Easter Sunday.


Purple Cape.
Århus Cathedral
1993
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White Cape.
Århus Cathedral
1994
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The two chasubles for Århus Cathedral are part of a series of four, all created in the same style and made of the same hand-woven silk fabric, but with a variety of embroidery techniques. The chancel rises high above the long nave, so that during most of the service the congregation is very far from the pastor and the altar. The cathedral, moreover, has an abundance of frescos, epitaphs and other decorations, and therefore the effect of distance, of form and colour, has been emphasised. On the other hand there is something almost intimate about the segregated chancel below the altar, and so it was worthwhile making the most out of the details and varying the materials and embroidery techniques. The altar and its surrounds have greatly influenced the choice of colours. The Gothic triptych with its richly carved, gilded figures and ornaments and the many colourful painted fields is one of the most beautiful in Denmark - the cathedral's greatest treasure. It can be opened in three different ways: for everyday purposes, for times of fasting and for festivals.

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Bishop´s Cape.
Elsinore diocese
1986
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The Elsinore robe is golden, a colour that for a long time all but predominated for Danish bishops' capes. In a reddish frame, the front borders are decorated with six pairs of rounded fields bearing naturalistic motifs, all with the theme, gate, window and opening: "Effata - Open up!".


Bishop´s Cape. Viborg Cathedral
1988
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The blue colour of the Viborg cape is inspired by the vast open landscapes of West Jutland with its wide-reaching sky and its many Romanesque country churches whose ashlar walls and lead roofs often give them a bluish tint. The Queen chose as a theme the heavenly song of praise. Golden red volutes wind their way as long ribbons diagonally across the entire surface of the cape, interrupted by round fields depicting angels' heads singing at the top of their voices. In fact one of the strongest impressions Queen Margrethe has of Viborg Cathedral derives from a festival service during which the singing was so powerful that the entire interior with the Danish painter Skovgaard's exquisite frescos almost took flight.

ON DUTY

Vestments are applied art and must, as such, be kept within certain limits. They have to be subordinated to the character of the church and take its style, colours, light and proportions into consideration. They cannot help relating to their time of creation, but should nevertheless express something general. In decorating the altar they highlight its importance, and when used during the service they allow the pastor as person to step into the background.

Some of the exhibited works (Chapel of Kronborg Castle and Elsinore Cathedral) Her Majesty has embroidered herself, others (Århus) have been completed with great skill by members of "Selskabet for Kirkelig Kunst" (The Society for Ecclesiastical Art), whereas the Viborg bishop's cape was embroidered by a circle of twenty-two women and one man in the Viborg diocese.

In Queen margrethes own words:

"Whether you create something yourself with needle and thread or follow a ready-made pattern, the joy is the same. You can see the work taking shape in your hands and can envisage the moment when it can actually be taken into use. However, to create something for ecclesiastical use constitutes a special challenge. Here we ourselves retire into the background. Here we are all on duty."