Viborg Cathedral - After Reformation

After Reformation

By 1530 the cathedral was in the hands of Lutherans who rejected much of what the cathedral had stood for since Viking times. Friis retired to Hald Castle and in 1536 was imprisoned there, at the same time as Denmark's other Catholic bishops were imprisoned. In 1540 Friis was released upon his oath that he would submit to the new order. He was given the land and buildings of the former Vrejlev Abbey and lived out his life as a landed gentleman.

Despite Viborg's enthusiasm for all things reformed, Viborg maintained some of its Catholic traditions longer than anywhere else in Denmark. Prayers for King Eric Klipping, which were everywhere else abolished, continued to be offered until 1630. The relics of St Kjeld and St Willehad were moved from their chapels into the choir and preserved.

A fire damaged the church again in 1567. 27 June 1726 the city and the church suffered devastating fire damage leaving the bare walls and vaulting standing. The old cathedral remnants were enclosed in a Baroque style building that was poorly constructed by 1770. The towers were capped with short "coffee pots" according to locals who remembered the high spires before the fire.