Traveling around the world, especially around Europe, you see a lot of cathedrals. Sad to say, they often all start to run together. I find myself remembering small details — the statues of Ecclesia and Synagoga at Notre Dame, the York Minster Semaphore Saints, the vertical tour through the vaults of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine — more than the cathedrals as a whole.

That’s part of why Copenhagen Cathedral felt so distinctive, to me. It’s a simple building, Neoclassical rather than Gothic, and the impression is cool and austere rather than cluttered and overstuffed. The nave is decorated with Bertel Thorvaldsen’s monumental sculptures of the apostles, culminating with his masterful sculpture of Christ arisen over the altar. It manages the trick of being both grandiose and modest at the same time, welcoming and formal, calming and magnificent.

But it’s also the location of the Night Church. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays after about 8pm, they turn down the lights and invite the public in. They often play ambient music, or project colored lights against the architecture. Sometimes they invite a DJ to create blissful, relaxing soundscapes. You can meditate, or stretch out in front of the altar to chill for a while, or just sit and decompress and try to center yourself.

I pass through Copenhagen a lot. I often stop in, for at least a few minutes, whenever I’m in town. And I miss it, whenever I don’t.