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Stained glass window in Bagenkop Church, Helle Scharling-Todd

On entering Bagenkop Church you are greeted by the gentle light that streams through Helle Scharling-Todd's large stained glass window over the altar.

Stained Glass Window in Bagenkop Kirke

  • Artist: Helle Scharling-Todd
  • Created: 1997

An allusion to a way of life 

On entering Bagenkop Church you are greeted by the gentle light that streams through Helle Scharling-Todd's large stained glass window over the altar. The window was created from organically shaped pieces of glass in shades of blue, yellow and red, which together create the illustion of a small boat full of people sailing on a stormy sea. The lines and eddies in the water crerate the drama needed to tell the story. The motif is inspired by the following parable in the New Testament:

Then Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and waves obey him!"

The work is also a alliusion to the way of life the sea created for the population of the fishing village of Bagenkop.

Helle Scharling-Todd has created stained glass windows for a total of seven Danish churches around the country.

Helle Scharling-Todd

Helle Scharling-Todd was born on Langeland, but today lives in California. Several of her works can be seen on Langeland, including this work in Bagenkop Church.

See Also

The small ceramic crosses – a memorial cross and a baptismal cross -  which hang in the church were made by  Ulla Keramik. Ulla Keramik is one of the oldest ceramic workshops on Langeland and since 1968 it has produced ceramics and stoneware following traditional methods. The pottery lies just outside Bagenkop and can be visited all year round. See more here.


Bagenkop Church is Langeland's smallest and youngest church. The church was concecrated in 1920.
Before the inhabitants of Bagenkop got their own church, they used to sail to the church in Magleby. However when the sea-passage between the two settlements was lost when the inlet of Magleby Nor was dammed in the  1800s, the need arose for Bagenkop to have its own church.