During the 12th Century, a church was built on the shore below the castle embankment. At that time there were no permanent settlements on the shore-front.
Yet the town grew and subsequently the old church was torn down, since a larger room for worship services became necessary. The old sandstone, used in the foundation of the 14th Century construction of the church, was re-used in the construction of the building in which currently stands. This building was completed circa 1450.
Building Period
St Mary's Church was built throughout duration of the 14th Century and the early-15th century and was, essentially, completed circa 1410. The tower, however, was not erected until approximately the year 1500. Brick was the chief construction material used for the new church, which was built according to the Gothic style.
The bricks are likely to have been manufactured on the castle embankment, where the Dominicans also made bricks for their own monastery.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, St Mary's also acquired a vestry at its northern wing, and a porch outside the southern portal. Both additions were demolished in 1843; however, in 1953 a new vestry was built on the same site as the former.
The construction process of the church has a long history. The chief reason for this lengthy process is probably that due to the fact that 14th Century Helsingborg was frequently afflicted by wars. Traces of fire in the Chancel and in the far western wing suggest that the church burned down whilst under construction; the cause of the fire is unknown.
The advent of The Black Death, which devastated Europe between 1348 and 1350, surely also attributed to the long construction process.
One may furthermore assume that there were times when building funds also ran low.
Frescoes
Fragments of two medieval frescoes can be seen on the Chancel walls. During its earlier years, the church was liberally decorated with paintings, but during 1739 the inside walls were covered with a whitewash. In 1898, however, the plaster was removed, revealing the brickwork and frescoes underneath.
From Catholic to Lutheran
St Mary's Church was in origin a Danish and Roman Catholic church. The Resolution of 1536, according to which Denmark was to adopt the Lutheran faith, brought massive changes to Helsingborg. The new faith prescribed that every church should have a pulpit; the current pulpit in St Mary's was aquired in 1615. With manifold changes in organisation of the church, it was now necessary to place seats in the nave, where men were seated on the southern side and women on the northern side.
Dieterich Buxtehude
One does not know with certainty where Dieterich Buxtehude was born. Various sources suggest that he was born in Helsingborg, whilst others suggest Oldesloe, Germany.
He spent, at least, some of his childhood in Helsingborg, where both he and his father, respectively, worked as Organist in St Mary's Church. Later in his life, Buxtehude moved to Lübeck, Germany, where he was Organist in the Marienkirche and trained J.S Bach as an apprentice.
Renovations / Restorations
The church was restored five times during the 19th Century. This included the addition of new roofing, new benches, as well as the refreshing of white plaster and new flooring. This was necessitated because the existing floor was markedly uneven due to the positioning of the graves and tombstones.
The Church Today
At the end of the 19th Century all the whitewash from the interior walls was removed, once again showing the original brick work. Stained-glass windows were installed, as well as a brand new organ. The principal organ found in the church today dates from 1959, and was built by the Danish firm Marcussen & Son.
The Chancel Organ was built in the year 2000 by R. Gustavsson and M. Kjersgaard and was designed in the style that was customary in the mid-1660s, during the time when Buxtehude was organist.
