Thorsager church / Thorsager kirke, Mols herred, Randers amt.

Thorsager Church, ab. 22 km northeast of Århus
Thorsager sogn, Mols herred, Randers amt.


Thorsager Church, 20 km north of Ebeltoft

The only round church of Jutland dominates the village Thorsager from the top of a hill. The church is well-preserved, but heavily restored. The first sections of the church building is probably from about 1200. It is likely that the king himself was the building master. The king owned 1231 "Thorsager med sit tilliggende, 100 mark guld" - and still in 1573 all farms in Thorsager and two other villages of the parish belonged to the Crown. The church is closely related to Bjernede Church upon Sjælland. The building material is monk bricks - with many riffelhugne (rifle cut) stones, also in the pillars. The inside walls seem to have been red chalked with white joints. The whole church was vaulted from the first beginning. In front of the door was in the late Middle Ages built a porch which was heightened later. Because of a heavy repair the tower was after a breakdown partly reconstructed.

A new walled communion table and a pulpit from 1952. Above the choir arch is a small late Medieval crucifix. The Romanesque granite font is new-carved. Outside in the church wall was in 1878 placed three Romanesque gravestones with cross, two trapeze formed.

Hvitvedgård, farm/manor was in 1580 by the Crown laid out to Århus domkapitel, but in 1667 wih a forest exchanged to Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve. By grev Mogens Friis (of Vadskærgård) it was in 1674 exchanged to Bjørn Albrechtsen in Ebeltoft, whose widow married Henrik Poulsen, who sold to his cousin Erik Henriksen of Vedø. Several owners up till present.

Rostved was among the estate which Erik Plovpenning's daughters Jutta and Agnes (1293?) inherited from their father.

The markets - which until then had been held at Marie Magdalene was in 1582 transferred to Thorsager, but in 1601 transferred to Grenå.

Two sacred springs were in the parish once, Klokkerholmskilden or Thorsagerkilden at Nyskov and Viekilden (unknown place).

Names in the Middle Ages:
Thorsager ( * 1231 Sthorsakar, * 1402 Thorsager); Fårup ( * 1491 Forup); Skrejrup (* 1491 Skrerop); Rostved (end of 1200s Rosthveth); Hedeskov ( 1661 Hedschouf); Hvitvedgård ( 1579 Huetthuedgaard).

Listed prehistorics: two round dolmens, one from the group Stenhøje northwest of Rostved with a cover stone; 3 long dolmens, of which one belongs to the same group; two passage graves, one rather destroyed, the other at Rostved with a chamber and 7 supporting stones and one cover stone. 21 hills of which 3 at Smouen and one at Nyskov ar rather large.
Demolished or destroyed: 2 round dolmens, 6 long dolmens and 83 hills, mainly in the southern, hilly part of the parish.

At the farm Håg was examined a bronze caster's workshop place where were found many pieces of crucibles, moulds, wattle-and-daubs, besides clay pot pieces, bronze- and flint things and animal bones. Clay pot graves from early Roman period were found at Thorsager and Rostved, and a settlement from the same period at Skrejrup.

Kilde: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963


photo Thorsager kirke March 2003: grethe bachmann