Øls church / Øls kirke, Hindsted herred, Aalborg amt.

Øls Church, 5 km southwest of Hobro
Øls sogn, Hindsted herred, Aalborg amt.


Øls Church is placed high upon a bank with a view to Onsild Ådal (river valley). In 1518 it was named Vor Frue Kirke. It has a Romanesque choir and nave, while the tower and porch are from the Reformation period. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars, both doors are preserved, the south door is in use, the north door has carved heads at the plinths. Two original windows are bricked-up to the north of the choir, two round-arched cover stones are bricked-up in the bottom of the southern porch wall. Inside are beamed ceilings, the round choir arch stands with various profiled kragbånd (oblong relief stones). The tower is built in re-used ashlars and monk bricks. The bottom room is not connected to the church and the outer walls are in the top very re-walled with iron-anchors. The tower has a pyramid spire.

Upon the ashlar-walled communion table is a cross, flanked by two late Gothic figures, Maria and Johannes (Mary and John), fine works from Claus Berg's North Jutland workshop. A simple Romanesque granite font with a smooth basin. South German baptismal bowl from ab. 1575. Pulpit from ab. 1625, a simple joinery. The upper pews are dated 1631. In the nave a small chandelier from the middle of the 1700s. Church bell from 1435, cast by Petrus de Randrusia with two pilgrim's signs: S. Mauritius and a bishop.


Romanesque grave stone with a lion and a crossbearing lamb.

A Romanesque grave stone with a majuskel inscription: THORI, a sitting lion and a crossbearing lamb. In the western side of the porch wall is a grave stone with a portrait. In the nave two flat gravtræer (grave-trees) from the 1600s (Maties Andersen, Mads Thøstisen.)


A carved head at the plinth of the north door

Øls Hovedgård (main farm) was in 1553 owned by Anne Andersdatter Skeel, widow after Malte Lauridsen Viffert of Albæk, in 1554 their children Albert Viffert and Dorte, who was married to landsdommer Peder Kruse , + 1562 were the owners. Dorte still lived in 1578, one of her daughters Maren Kruse was married to Godske Friis of Lundergård, who was the owner in 1590, Kirsten Kruse and her husband Ebbe Lauridsen Udsen are buried in Øls. They were probably both owners of Øls H. Laurids Ebbesen Udsen exhchanged in 1609 Øls H. to the Crown but got it back in 1623. It was probably among the estate which he in 1634 exchanged to grev Valdemar Christian, who exchanged it to the Crown in 1646. Various owners. In 1731 it was still a main farm/manor and was pawned to amtmand F.L.Woyda.

Tostrupgård or Tostrup Hovgård was in 1531 owned by Erik Steen, who still lived in 1580. The owner in 1595 and 1610 was Johan Brockenhuus, a daughter's son of Erik Steen's cousin. In 1634 it was exchanged from Laurids Ebbesen Udsen to grev Valdemar Christian, who in 1646 exchanged it to the Crown. Various owners. In 1918 sold to Hobro Kartoffelmelsfabrik, later several owners.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Øls (* 1469 Ølss); Hald Tostrup (1611 Hal Taastrup); Tostrup Hovgård (1664 Thaastrup Gaard).

Listed prehistorics: A long dolmen without chamber in Øls krat, 19 hills and an area with hulveje (sunken roads) down to Gl. Onsild bro (bridge).
Demolished or destroyed: 26 hills, two dolmens Store & Lille Stenstue east of Ølst village. - From Kjeldsminde is known a Bronze Age grave with finding: 22 cross-shaped bone-buttons.

In front of the altar in the church was once a marble stone, probably a grave stone with a rune-inscription which was never interpreted.

Source: Trap Danmark, Aalborg amt, 1961.


photo Øls kirke 2005: grethe bachmann