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	Bent Nielsen writes about this place:   "As the Norse Vikings converted to the new Christian faith, churches were built all over Denmark at an astonishing speed.  The churches were often only few miles apart, as the predominantly agrarian population didn't travel far.  In Marup they followed tradition and built the church in the middle of the parish, here, a good two kilometers from the coast. Today, there church is no longer in the middle of the parish.  The foundation rests a mere nine meters from a steep 30 meter cliff leading down to the beach.  The hungry North Sea devours on the average a good two meters of coastline every year.  Not much from year to year, but over the course of centuries we learn that though religious faith may be strong, we are but mortals. Authorities realized in 1928 that this could no longer go on and the church was taken out of regular service.  As the sea has brought the church ever closer to the brink between life and death, Marup has become a frequent "must see before it's too late" item.  The church received notorious fame in the late 1980's as the setting for Oscar winning Best Foreign Motion Picture: Babette's Feast, based on the Karen Blixen novel. In 2008 the situation became so grave, that something had to be done.  The Forest and Nature Agency commenced a partial deconstruction of the church: the roof and everything above the height of two meters were carefully taken down and are now in a storage facility.  What happens next? Tourists flock to take what may be one last look at Marup church.  This building has served so many generations faithfully.  It is only sad that the church has to face such uncertain future."   For more photos see: www.bentfoto.dk/marup_txteng All rights reserved by Bent Nielsen.