Gudum church / Gudum kirke and Gudumlund, Fleskum herred, Aalborg amt.

Gudum Church, 10 km southeast of Aalborg
Gudum sogn, Fleskum herred, Aalborg amt.

Interior

The rather high-placed Gudum church has a Romanesque apse, choir and nave with a late Gothic tower to the west and a sacristi on the north side of the choir. The romanesque building is built in granite ashlars. The south door has disappeared completely, while the north door is walled and has a cover stone. From the original windows are one walled in the east side of the apse, and there is a round-arched window in the middle south side of the nave. Inside the choir has a re-walled arch, probably from the same time as the late Gothic octagonal cross-vault in the whole building. The tower is late Gothic, built in re-used ashlar-material and yellow monk bricks. The pointed tower arch is partly walled, and the room functions as a porch. The late Gothic sacristi ,which is now a chapel of the rest, was earlier a burial chapel for the family Buchwald. The eastern vault of the nave is covered in funny frescoes from ab. 1550 in saturated colours, brought into light in 1889 , and restored in 1929.



Entertaining frescoes

An ashlar with a relique, which is placed in the apse, probably origins from a Romanesque communion table. The altarpiece, which was earlier a wooden work from the Renaissance with a painting, has now been changed: A fine choir-arch crucifix with side figures from the beginning of the 1500s is now the altarpiece. Romanesque granite font similar to the font in Ferslev church. Smooth baptismal bowl with the initials of Wulff v. Buchwald and wife from 1694 and the inscription "Til Gudum kirke 1701". Pulpit, a fine joinery in Renaissance from ab. 1600. "Lord of the Manor" pews with the coat of arms of Jens Kaas and Margrethe Lange, 1579. A couple of bride's benches from 1600s are preserved. A gallery in the west end of the nave from 1751.


"Lord of the Manor"-pews with coat of arms of Jens Kaas
and Margrethe Lange.

Gudumlund manor was in 1373-86 owned by væbneren (knight) Niels Johansen Slet, by his son Johannes Nielsen Slet in 1390-93. In 1406 Erik of Pommern commanded Niels Slet's heirs to give his estates in Sejlflod to Viborg domkapitel (chapter). Niels Slet's widow Ide Lydersdatter Holck gave in 1425 Gudumlund to Viborg chapter in return for Soul Masses for her family. Niels Jensen Seefeld of Refsnæs, who is mentioned in 1503 in Gudumlund, was probably the bishop's vasal. At the reformation Gudumlund came to the Crown and was endowed to Anne Friis of Haraldskær, sister of the last Catholic bishop in Viborg, Jørgen Friis. Gudumlund was in 1567 endowed to Jens Kaas (Sparre-Kaas) of Vorgård (Hellum herred), vasal at Elfsborg, who first in 1571 had Gudumlund endowed from Anne Friis. He bought Gudumlund with 21 farms and 8 houses in 1573. After his death his widow Margrethe Lange (3 Roses-Lange) brought Gudumlund to her second husband Knud Brahe, + 1615. Anne Friis died in 1622, and Jens Kaas' brother's son, rigsråd Mogens Kaas (Sparre-Kaas), + 1656, of Støvringgård, bought out his co-heirs from Gudumlund. His son Jørgen Kaas sold in 1674 Gudumlund with estate to Wulff v. Buchwald of Lundgård , + 1708. Various owners up til present. In 1800 it was incorporated in grevskabet (county) Lindenborg. Later outparcelling.


In the garden north of the main building is a circular castle bank, surrounded by a broad moat, except to the south where a dam leads to the court yard. According to Pont. Atlas a small tower was at the bank, probably from the early Middle Ages. The bank now overgrown with lime and elm.


Gudum church yard, Digitalis and Map Butterfly

Names in the Middle Ages:
Gudum (* 1425 Guding, 1478 Gudingh); Gudumlund (* 1355 Gudinglund, 1379 Guthemlund); Gudumholm stationsby (* 1343 Gudding holm, 1478 Gudomholm); Kildegård (* 1425 Kieldgaard); Bakgård (* 1478 Baggisgardh).

Listed prehistorics: None.
Demolished or destroyed: a stone cist and 4 hills. According to Pont. Atlas were many hills in Gudumlund skov, some excavated by amtmand Fr. v. Buchhwald, who found clay-pots and glass-bowls. In the bank by the meadow at Gudumholm was found a grave from early Germanic Iron Age with sword, 2 fibulas, and glass- and amberpearls.

In the eastern dike of the church yard was a runestone which unfortunately has disappeared (to where?). Inscription was "Østen lod rejse denne sten for sin fader Utvagens sjæl."("Østen put up this stone for his father Utvagen's soul.")

Source: Trap Danmark, Aalborg amt, 1961


photo Gudum kirke 2008: grethe bachmann