Sødring church / Sødring kirke and Sødringholm, Gjerlev herred, Randers amt.

Sødring Church, ab. 22 km northeast of Randers
Sødring sogn, Gjerlev herred, Randers amt

Sødring Church was according to a legend built by a jomfru Gunder or Gundelil, who lived at "Sødringborg" in king Erik Ejegod's time. The church is in its present look completely a Gothic plan with a small longhouse. To the east was later added a western addition, a tower and a porch to the south. The original Gothic building in monk bricks seems to belong to the first half of the 1400s. A pointed arch door is bricked-up on the north side, and several pointed arch windows are preserved. The two eastern cross vaults and the vault of the choir looks original. In the late Gothic period, probably in the beginning of the 1500s, the building was extended with a cross vaulted bay to the west and a slender tower, which opened in a large pointed arch, which was later out-walled. The porch is also from the late Gothic period, it was furnished as a burial chapel for the family Secher, and the entrance was then placed at the tower, which was equipped with a pyramid roof.

In the vault of the longhouse was in 1902 very elegant frescoes brought to light from 1491 with the coat of arms of the Århus bishop Niels Clausen and his two predecessors and some biblical paintings. The walled communion table has a flatcurved opening in one side. The altar piece is a naively carved relief work from the late 1600s. The chalice from 1778 was made by Jørgen Friis, Randers. Baroque candelabres from ab. 1650. A Romanesque granite font with a smooth basin. South German bowl from ab. 1575 . A simple pulpit in Renaissance, from ab. 1600-25, like the altar piece re-painted 1961. A front from old pews with the coat of arms of Christian Rantzau 1655. Church ships: "Mathias Adolphus" from 1788 and another ship.



Sødringholm was in 1240 sold to Øm kloster, partly from bishop Peder Elafsen, partly by buying and exchanging with Jens Judesen, but in 1248 S. was again transferred to Jens Judesen. The present main farm S. was probably established by Hans Stygge of Holbækgård (+ 1568), who in 1544 was conveyed 21 farms in Sødring parish from the Crown. His daughter Anne Stygge (+ childless 1592), m. to Lage Brockenhuus (+ 1569) owned S., which then belonged to rigsadmiral Peder Munk (Lange) of Estvadgård, he also owned Demstrup in Råby parish, with which S. belonged until 1744, when it was sold to the priest Niels Secher (+ 1768). Later owners: Secher, Holsten, Buchwald, Branth, in 1954 sold to Tage H. Carstensen. - The main building is a three-winged plan in one storey, it was built in 1752 as a half-timbered building by priest Niels Secher. It is now white-washed with a gable-attic in the middle.


By Randers Fjord

There are no prehistorics in the parish and seemingly never were; the sea covered most of the parish in Stone Age. - At Sødringholm were found two bowls from the Viking period.

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963.


photo Sødring kirke & Sødringholm 2004: grethe bachmann