Øster Tørslev church / Øster Tørslev kirke, Gjerlev herred, Randers amt.

Øster Tørslev Church, ab. 14 km northeast of Randers
Øster Tørslev sogn, Gjerlev herred, Randers amt

Øster Tørslev å passes the church and runs through a deep winding valley to Randers fjord, which makes the eastern border of the parish. The church in the middle of the village was built in 1875-76 and replaced an earlier Romanesque church. The material was partly ashlars and details from the demolished church. From the old building is the south portal with a thympanum with a Greek Maltese cross, the straight-edged north door and (possibly) the priest door with a smooth thympanum on the south side of the choir. Old window cover stones are used in the east gable of the choir and above two windows on the north side of the nave. A roughly carved male head in limstone is inserted in the bottom room of the tower, which functions as a porch. The tower has a pyramid roof , covered in slate like the other roofs. Inside are beamed ceilings in choir and nave.

The front of the communion table has a good biblical painting from ab. 1670. The altar piece is a fine carving from ab. 1670 with Fr. III's and Sophie Amalie's initials. In the middle field is a relief from 1876. The chalice has an engraved crucifix and the inscription: Rasmus Jensen priest 1625. Baluster-shaped Renaissance candelabres ab. 1600-25. In the nave hangs a fine choir arch crucifix from ab. 1250, which cross wood is framed by a carved curve. Octagonal carved wooden font resting upon lions (like in Udbyneder and Kastbjerg). Smooth baptismal bowl, probably from the 1600s. The pulpit with carved evangelists is contemporary to the altar piece and from the same workshop. Bell 1878, Meilstrup, Randers.

Jon Nielsen (Splittaf) is written in 1412 of Tørslev, Christen Munk (Vinranke-M. )of Gjessinggård was in 1579 endowed with the Crown's estate in Ø.T.

In the parish were two sacred wells. Skt. Mortens kilde in the road ditch west of the Udbyhøj-road and Skt. Niels' kilde, which probably was at Tørring mark. (field)


Øster Tørslev Å and the village seen from the church

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Øster Tørslev * 1412 thørsløff, 1463 Thøsløff); Ilshøj (* 1500s Hilleszø mark, 1579 Ilsehøfue); Tørring (* 1407 Thøring, 1463 Thyringh Mølle).

Listed prehistorics: 5 hills i.e. the large Grønhøj northernest in the parish and Skedehøj southeast of Ø. Tørslev.
Demolished or destroyed: two long dolmens, a round dolmen, an undefinable stone grave and 66 hills;two of these dolmens are mentioned in Pont. Atlas: Steenshøj and Hylhøj "store hedenske gravhøje med vældige store sten omsatte" ("Large heathen grave hills surrounded by very large stones.") - At Ågård is an important settlement from Ertebølle-culture and the grubekeramiske kultur (Pitted Ware culture), and several kitchen middens are known along the bank of the hillside. From Ilshøjgård are known lerkargrave (clay-vessel graves) from early Roman period and from Ø. Tørslev a burial site from late Roman period.


photo Øster Tørslev kirke 2004: grethe bachmann