ThehistoryofDanishcountrychurcharchitectureistoldbyshowingscenesofhowthechurchwasusedbythecongregation,beginningwiththecelebrationofmassinasmallandsimplewoodenchurch800yearsago,andendingwiththecongregationsinginginavillagechurchofto-day.Thedevelopmentandthegrowthofthepatternofchurcharchitectureisshown.
Dreyerinthisfilmshowsaseriesofchurchesfromdifferentperiodswithchurchgoersinperiodclothing.Eachperiodisseparatedbyashotofachurchbelldouble-exposedonthesky.Althoughthefilmhasavibrantandinstructivewayofcommunicatingthedifferentepochsandstylestostudents,itdoesnotexhibittheartisticqualitythatusuallydistinguishesaDreyerfilm,exceptperhapsinsomeofthecostumes,whichwereoriginallymadeforDayofWrath.
TheboardofDanskKulturfilminautumn1945decidedthattheirplannedchurchfilmwouldexclusivelybeaboutvillagechurches.Dreyerwouldreworkthescriptthatwaswrittenbyeditorandfolkhigh-schoolprincipalBernhardJensen,aidedbyacommitteeofexpertsconsistingofarchitectH.Lønborg-JensenandVictorHermansen,curatorattheNationalMuseumofDenmark.Dreyerhadafirstdraftreadyinmid-March,entitledKirkeneretgammeltHus("TheChurchIsanOldHouse"),whichwasdistributedtothemembersofthecommitteefortheircomments.
InthelasthalfofJuly,DreyerandVictorHermansentravelledthecountrytolookatsuitablechurches.TheyresearchedthedetailsandatDreyer’srequestanumberoftechnicalchangesweremadetothechurches,includingtheremovalofporcelainholdersforelectricalwiringinTvejeMerløseChurch.
On4July,DreyerwentinadvancetoRingkøbing.Shootingwassettostartafewdayslaterwiththearrivalofthedirectorofphotography,PrebenFrank,whohadfallenoffaladderandbrokenhisleg,Fortunately,hewasreadytocautiouslystartworkingagainwithinafewdays,withhisleginacast.
Otherwise,theproductionwentwithoutaglitch.Everywhere,Dreyersaid,theywerewellreceivedatthevicaragesandtheyhadnoproblemgettingenoughextras.On1august,theyreturnedtoCopenhagenwithalmostalltheirfootageinthecan.TheyonlyneededtofilmthechurchinSkelby,wheretheweatherhadbeenagainstthem,plusaSwedishwoodenchurchinHedared.Theeconomywasdistressedsosoonafterthewar,especiallywhenitcametoforeigncurrency,buttherewerenorealwoodenchurchesleftinDenmarkandbuildinganinteriorsetinthestudiowouldbetooexpensive.
Thefinishedfilmwasshownforthefirsttimeon24September1947toasmall,closedcircle,whichincludedtheMinisterforEcclesiasticalAffairs.InDecember1947,aswasDanskKulturfilm’sstandardpractice,thefilmwaspresentedtothepress,politiciansandothersonaprogrammewithfourothershortfilms.