Vejerslev Church, ab. 22 km southeast of Viborg
Vejerslev sogn, Houlbjerg herred, Viborg amt.
The unusual church has a Romanesque western section with a later, but still in the Romanesque period, addition of an eastern section, originally with crossarms and apses, and a tower over the west end from 1875. The western section, the nave, is mostly built in jernal (a special iron stone) upon an irregular plinth. The bricked-up north door is well-preserved outside. In the northern wall are two round arched windows bricked-up as outside niches, while inside are traces of two Romanesque windows on the south wall of the nave. Probably was once a choir added to the nave, but the church was , probably in the end of the 1100s, klosterkirke for a monastery from an unknown order. It was then extended with a large choir-section of two cross arms and one choir; each of the three sections had its own apse, which bricked-up openings are still seen. The new choir was built in granite ashlars, and from original details is a window at the north side of the choir.
The preserved northern cross arm opens to the church in a large round arch, where is a kragsten in jernal with a winding vine or snake. The choir arch probably belonged to the original church. All three apse and the southern cross arm have disappeared, probably in a repair in 1713, which grev Chr. Friis let make. In the late Gothic period was in the eastern section built octagonal cross vaults, while the western section kept its beamed ceiling. In a restoration in 1854 the south side of the nave was face-walled with red bricks. In 1875 was built a narrow tower in red bricks above the western section, and its bottom room was furnished as a hall with entrance from the west, since a western porch had been removed. The building was repaired in 1949.
The well-preserved north door
A large Renaissance altar piece, probably from 1595 with newer painting. An earlier altar painting from ab. 1850, hangs in the church. Baroque candelabres from the 1700s, similar to Aidt church. A fine Romanesque granite font where the arcade-decorated basin has a rare ringkæde (carved chain around the basin); upon the foot are heads on the corner and a warrior is fighting a lion. The font was found in a stone dike at the fattiggård (workhouse) and another font or aspersorium, earlier in the garden of the vicarage, is now in Skorup Church (Gjern herred, Århus amt). The pulpit in Baroque was given in 1717 by købmand and skipper (grocer and captain) Niels Pedersen Borre, Randers, who was shipwrecked the same year on Christmas night. Several grave stones, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque.
The rune stone, northern wall of church
Names in the Middle Ages :
Vejerslev (* 1203 Witherslef); Borre (* 13545 Borg); Knopdrup (* 1425 Knubdrup); Ågård (* 1494 Aagardt); Boregård (* 1407 Borug gardt, Borig gaard); Katvad Mølle (* 1494 Kattuad(tz) mølle).
Abbed Ingmar of Vejerslev co-signed in 1203 a document. The kloster in Vejerslev is not known; probably it was soon abandoned and the estate was transfered to Alling kloster, which became the owner of Vejerslev village and church. Foundations of the kloster were said to be found in the 1700s.
Borregård was conveyed by Godskalk Rostrup in 1407 to bishop Bo in Århus; in 1530 it came by law to Alling kloster.
In Tuntiskrog, the narrow angle where the two water streams Borre Å and Gudenå meet, was according to legend a borg , Ilensborg, owned by Erik Straale, who was said to be a supporter of the church building. In the overgrown terrain are some small hills, which are told to be castle banks, but they might as well be natural occurences with no fortification purpose. The name Ilensborg is also connected to a bank in Granslev parish.
Listed prehistorics: One longhill and 21 hills.
Demolished or destroyed: 83 hills, which mainly were in the southern and western section of the parish. At Vejerslevgård was a group of 6 hills, southeast of Vejerslev 4 Pindehøje. Pont. Atlas mentions two dolmens southwest of Vejerslev, one possibly a passage grave. Furthermore was an ab. 90 m long stone ship with 26 stones, 2 m tall.
At the northern wall of the church a large rune stone which was in the dike of the church yard, inscription: "Iver huggede disse runer over sin broder Skalme". (Iver carved these runes over his brother Skalme ) The stone is medieval.
Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962
Vejerslev Church 2005: grethe bachmann
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