Saint Laurentius Church - 900 years of history hidden beneath Roskilde
Beneath Roskilde’s lively main square lies a medieval church ruin featuring a rare brick floor and dramatic stories from the city’s distant past. The ruins of Saint Laurentius' Church and the preserved tower stand today as a testament to faith, building traditions, and Roskilde’s evolution over nearly a thousand years.
Discover Roskilde’s Hidden Treasure – the Underground Medieval Church
A hidden cultural gem in the heart of Roskilde
Beneath the main square of Stændertorvet lies an important part of Roskilde’s history. Here you’ll find the remains of the medieval Church of Saint Lawrence (Sankt Laurentius), where archaeology, architecture and stories from a bygone era meet in an atmospheric underground exhibition.
Traces of the past
Only part of the original church floor plan, dating from around 1125, has been excavated and can be seen today. An illustrated reconstruction in the exhibition suggests the church’s original size – including its possible twin towers and entrance porch. On the square above, paving stones mark the church's original footprint, allowing visitors to visualise its place in the modern townscape.
The ruins provide insight into both the church’s construction and the archaeological digs that revealed unique features such as a mosaic floor of red and black-fired bricks – among the earliest examples of brick use in Scandinavia. A small on-site museum also displays finds from the 1998 excavation and offers a broader view of the church’s and the area’s history.
A church built of limestone and brick
The church was originally constructed from travertine limestone – a local building material – and later rebuilt with red brick. In the late Middle Ages, the nave was extended and the western tower, which still stands today, was added. Before the stone church, a wooden church stood on the site in the 11th century, though only burial remains attest to that earliest phase.
The tower that became the town’s watch
After the Reformation, the church was torn down, but the tower from around 1500 survived. It took on new roles as both bell tower and fire watch. In 1731, following a fire at Roskilde’s town hall, a new town hall was built beside the tower, which then also became the town hall tower. Today, the tower stands as a visible symbol of Roskilde’s layered past. If you look up, you’ll see a relief of Saint Lawrence, the church’s patron saint, who according to legend was martyred on a gridiron.