page_title: Church of Denmark
section_title: Church and state
hierarchical_section_title: Church of Denmark / Church and state
caption_attribution_description: Vor Frue Kirke in Copenhagen, Denmark. The cathedral of Copenhagen. Exterior.
context_page_description: The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The reigning monarch is the supreme secular authority in the church. As of 1 January 2019, 74.7% of the population of Denmark are members, though membership is voluntary.
  Catholic Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by Ansgar, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. In the 10th century, King Harald Bluetooth became a Catholic and began organizing the church, and by the 11th century, Christianity was largely accepted throughout the country. Since the Reformation in Denmark, the Church has been Evangelical Lutheran, while retaining much of its pre-Reformation liturgical traditions.
  The 1849 Constitution of Denmark designated the church "the Danish people's church" and mandates that the state support it as such.
  The Church of Denmark continues to maintain the historical episcopate. Theological authority is vested in bishops: ten bishops in mainland Denmark and one in Greenland, each overseeing a diocese. There is no archbishop; the Bishop of Copenhagen acts as a primus inter pares.
context_section_description: As supreme authority of the Church of Denmark, the monarch must be a member (article 6 of the Constitution). This applies to the royal princes and princesses as well, but does not apply to their spouses. Traditionally, though, every foreigner who has become a member of the royal family has converted or become a member of the church; as a result, the Prince Consort Henrik converted from Catholicism before marrying the Queen in 1968, and Mary Donaldson also converted from Presbyterianism before marrying Crown Prince Frederik in 2004.
caption: The Church of Our Lady, the cathedral of Copenhagen and the National Cathedral of Denmark
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