Jetsmark church / Jetsmark kirke, Hvetbo herred, Hjørring amt

Jetsmark Church, ab. 22 km northwest of Ålborg
Jetsmark sogn, Hvetbo herred, Hjørring amt.

Jetsmark Church is placed in a green area between the town Pandrup and Kås. It is known for its magnificent frescoes from the 1470s. The Romanesque part, nave, choir and apse were built in the end of the 1100s. In the apse is an original round arched window ; in the cover stone are carved two Evangelic symbols, eagle and oxen. The north door is still in use behind the porch, while the south door is walled-in. The western tower and the southern porch were built in the second half of the 1400s in monk bricks and with re-used ashlars in the bottom of the tower. Probably at the same time as the additions were four cross vaults built in the nave and a star vault in the choir. The vaulted tower room is connected to the nave, but the apse was separated from the choir with a wall in order to serve as a sacristy and is equipped with a half ribbed vault.


Interior

When the church was equipped with Gothic cross vaults the new vaults were in 1474 decorated with frescoes on the initiative of the Børglum bishop Jep Friis. His coat of arms was placed in the top of the choir vault surrounded by eight church fathers and four evangelic symbols, the oxen, the eagle, the lion and the angel. The frescoes are especially dramatic when the Jetsmark-artist describes Dooms' Day. In a niche is a monstrance-cupboard, and around the niche the artist has painted St. Thomas of Canterbury, St. Laurentius,S t. Nicolaus and St. Andreas. The frescoes were brought to life and restored in 1911. In 1999-2000 they had a thorough preservation.

The walled communion table is covered in a wooden-panel. The altar piece is a Protestantic triptychon from the 1500s with a newer painting. The altar piece is placed above the choir arch for the sake of the frescoes. A new sandstone baptismal font with an ore baptismal bowl from the end of the 1500s. A carved oak-pulpit in Renaissance from the end of the 1500s with a Renaissance pine sounding board. A church bell re-cast in 1803 by P. Meilstrup, Randers and paid by Cathrine Elisabeth Scheel, born Cicignon. According to a priest-report from 1638 the earlier bell had a runic inscription, which inaugurated it to St. Nicolaus. In the porch is a rune stone (Jetsmark-stenen) from the middle of the 900s. It was found in Pandrup in 1855. The inscription : "Hove satte stenen efter sine brødre Thorlak og Ride." (Hove put up this stone after (for) his brothers Thorlak and Ride".



Frescoes from the 1470s.


Apse window with reliefs and Jetsmarkstenen


Sandstone baptismal font.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Jetsmark (1313 Etesmarkæ, 1457 Jesmark); Kås (1463 Kaalssz, 1610 Kaas); Purkær (1610 Purkier); Søkær(1638 Søkier); Tvilsted Gårde (*1456 Tuillstedgaardt); Risager(*1416 Riisagger); Mejlholm (1540 Meyelholm Gaard); Skødsholm (1540 Skodsholm); Lundbak (1662 Lundbach); Klostergårde (1638 Klostergorde); Bundgårde(1610 Bundgaardenn); Kalsensgårde (1638 Kallsensgarde); Pilgårde (1610 Pillegaard); Sønderby (1459 Synderby); Brogårde (1610 Brogaard); Tranekær (1638 Tranekier); Skadebak (1540 Skadebacken); Bleggrav (*1458 Blegraff, *1500s Lille Blegra, Wester Blegra, Øster Blegra); Hedegårde (1582 Hiegaard); Lundergaard (1552 Lundergaardtt); Bedholm (1540 Biedholm); Toftegård (*1462 Tofftegord); Sigsgård (1610 Siesgaard); Bisgård (1582 Bisgaard, 1589 Bispegaard); Holmsgård (1638 Hollmsgordt); Klarborg ( 1638 Klaerborgh); Kongsbak ( 1638 Kongesback); Krogsgård (1610 Krogsgaard); Gammelgård (1662 Gammellgaard); Kædegård (1638 Kiedgaard.)

Farshave farm was in 1582 conveyed with other estate to Laurids Kruse of Balle (+ ab. 1609), later to rigsadmiral Peder Munk (Lange) of Estvadgård etc. (+ 1623); It came in 1597 under Aalborghus (castle). In the 1700s it came under another farm Lundergård.

Tvilstedgård was in 1456 by Iver Munk conveyed to Vestervig kloster, men came possibly later under Ø kloster (now Oksnholm) and with this eastate under the crown. Families at T.: Seefeld, Friis (of Haraldskær) .

Toftegård (now Gl. Toftegård) belonged ab. 1450 to Børglum kloster and came at the reformation to the crown. In 1542 Svend Rød, his wife and their eldest son achieved a livsbrev on the farm ( to stay there for life). His name possibly lives on in the legend about a ridder Rød of Giant-family, who lived here. Upon a pillar at the farm is carved the name Rød. In 1560 Anders Pedersen Galt of Birkelse achieved Toftegård in exchange. In the beginning of the 1600s Toftegård was sold to rigsadmiral Peder Munk (Lange) of Estvadgård etc. (+ 1623) and later to his widow fru Sophie Pedersdatter Brahe (+ 1638) , later it belonged to fru Sophie Stensdatter of Birkelse (+ 1659) widow after hr. Jørgen Lunge (Dyre) of Odden, Birkelse etc. (+ 1619).

Listed prehistorics: two hills and a stonegrave from Roman Iron Age.
Demolished or destroyed: 15 hills which mainly was on the hillside around the church.

At Sandelsbjerg is noted a house site and an urn burial site from early Iron Age and at Hønsholm a burial site from early Roman Iron Age with stone graves. East of Lundergård was a burial site from late Roman period with a bronze pot, a wooden bucket, glass vessel etc.

Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960; Niels Peter Stilling, Danmarks kirker 2000.


photo Jetsmark april 2004: grethe bachmann