The church itself is a brick building, the oldest parts of which stem from the 14th century.

By the late 15th century, the church had roughly the same appearance as today, but has since been modified and expanded, notably after being ravaged by fires caused by lightning strikes in 1699 and 1889.

He would also on occasion send his dog, Pompe, in his place, who would also leave early.

The explanation most commonly accepted by modern name research is that the name consists of the prefix dan-, derived from Old Norse dank, meaning "wet" or "boggy", and the suffix -mark meaning "forest" or "forest's edge".

[3] Olaus Magnus offers another explanation in A Description of the Northern Peoples (7:15), stating that the church "took its name from the homeland of the enemy [Denmark], as the mighty building was funded by loot taken from him, and thus stands as an eternal memorial for those who have fallen."