Soro - Church Attractions
In Sorø, on the lake of the same name, stands a notable 12th C. church, the largest monastic church in Denmark; it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In 1199 Bishop Absalon gave the church to the Cistercian Monastery of Soro, which he had founded. Within the church are a large number of tombs, including those of Bishop Absalon (d. 1201), King Christoffer II (d. 1332) and his wife, Valdemar IV (d. 1375), and King Oluf (d. 1387). The playwright Ludvig Holberg (1684-1754) is buried in a side chapel. Note also the very impressive Triumphal Cross hanging above the crossing; it is the work of Claus Berg (ca. 1530).
In 1586 Frederik II had set up a school in the monastery building and this became an academy for the sons of noblemen. Holberg left his property and his library to the academy, but most of this was destroyed in a fire in the 19th C. Today it is a boarding school. In the academy gardens, which are laid out in the English style and extend to the shores of Lake Soro (Sorø So), there is an open-air theater and a statue of Holberg.
In 1586 Frederik II had set up a school in the monastery building and this became an academy for the sons of noblemen. Holberg left his property and his library to the academy, but most of this was destroyed in a fire in the 19th C. Today it is a boarding school. In the academy gardens, which are laid out in the English style and extend to the shores of Lake Soro (Sorø So), there is an open-air theater and a statue of Holberg.
