Hyllested church / Hyllested kirke, Djurs Sønder herred, Randers amt.

Hyllested Church,10 km from Ebeltoft.
Hyllested sogn, Djurs Sønder herred, Randers amt.

Hyllested church was built ab. 1150-1200 in field stones. Late medieval change of vaults in choir and nave, and the additons tower and porch from the same period.
The essence of the white-washed tiled church is a Romanesque building in field stones, the choir and the nave are kept with carved corner ashlars - only the choir wall's gable point has been renewed. There are traces of walled-in Romanesque windows in the choir gable and in the northern side-wall of the nave. In the late Middle Ages the church was equipped with vaults, and the strong tower in raw granite mixed with bricks and the porch are also late Medieval.

The choir arch was extended rather lately. The altar piece is late Baroque from the first half of the 1700s with a new painting in the middle field. The communion table is carpented, and upon the backside are rests of carved figures from a late Gothic prelate's stool. At the altar piece is kept a limestone block from a walled altar piece with a reliquary. The simple pulpit is probably from the 1700s. Upon the walls of the church are panelfields, painted and carved. They probably come from a 1600s gallery.


The Romanesque granite font has lion figures.





The frescoes are from 1475 and from 1500-1520 (the Brarupmaster).


Those strange plants might be some flowers or trees.


A man is shoeing a cat- maybe a symbol of an attempt to gain control of the Devil. The cat was a bad omen in the Middle Ages.


Mermaids and a huge fish and a fine lobster with many claws.
The frescoes in Hyllested are interesting. The pictures are from 1475 and 1500-1520 (the Brarup-master). A man is nailing shoes upon a cat, another shooting arrows after strange animals. Adam is ploughing with two horses and two oxen. A devil is in chains, there is a man with a wooden leg, the blessed are brought to Heaven's Gate and much more. A picture book for the church goers if the vicar's speech was too long.


At Jernhatten

Names in the Middle Ages:
Hyllested (* 1183 Hildestat, ab. 1300 Hildæstath); Hyllested Skovgårde (* 1420 Dskogsgard).

Upon the south western corner of Jernhatten (Iron Helmet) rests were found of an old tile kiln and rests of monk bricks.

Listed prehistorics: 3 round dolmens, two with cover stones above the chamber; the long dolmen Stenormen in Hyllested Bjerge with 5 heavy supporting stones and a huge cover stone; a somewhat destroyed dolmen and a hill Gestenhøj, southeast of Hyllested.
Demolished or destroyed: 2 round dolmens, a stone grave and 7 hills. - At Jernhatten is a settlement from Stone Age.

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963; Politikens bog om Danmarks kalkmalerier.


photo Hyllested kirke 2003-2008/Jernhatten 2008: grethe bachmann