Stadil kirke, 10 km north of Ringkøbing
Stadil sogn, Hind herred, Ringkøbing amt.
Stadil church is beautifully situated close to Stadil fjord at the outflow of Tim Å-river. The church is visible far away in the flat West Jutland landscape with the high sky above. It was possibly inaugurated to Sct. Laurentius, but is mentioned in 1514 as Sct. Hans (John) Evangelist Kirke. It has a Romanesque choir and nave with late Gothic additions, a tower to the west and a porch to the north. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars upon a double plinth. Both original doors are kept, the south door walled in, while the north door is in use. The choir has a round arched window to the east, which is walled in the lysning (light part) - and to the north is a similar window traceable. In the south side of the nave is a round arched window in use. At the church gate entrance to the north lies a monolite coverstone.
relief of lion? / bearded male head with tiara or crown
kragsten (inside the church) and a Romanesque piscina
In the walls of the nave are among other things inserted a picture ashlar, showing a strange bearded male head with a tiara or crown. In the north side of the choir an indistinct carving with a bird or animal. In the south side of the nave an ashlar with a majuskel-inscription which letters are clear but without meaning. At the west side of the tower stands a Romanesque piscina, a granite basin with outlet for washing altar vessels.
interior
The golden altar and the Romanesque baptismal font.
Inside the choir and nave have a beamed ceiling, and the broad choir arch has richly carved kragsten, to the north a dragon and to the south an archade frieze. The tower was built west of the nave in the late Gothic period; its bottom section in granite ashlars is a little broader than the upper section in monk bricks.The bottom room has a cross vault, and the narrow tower arch is extended by a door opening. At the north east corner is a stair tower with lead roofs and a pointed gable. The porch is also late Gothic and mostly built in monk bricks. Tower and porch are white-chalked while the other building sections stand in a blank ashlar wall.
The church has got an unusually rich inventory, which in 1901 was restored by the National Museum. The Romanesque walled communion table, in which was found a saint's grave in 1901 with a reliquary of Sct Laurentius (now at the National Museum) is covered by a luxurious carved panel in late Renaissance from ab. 1625. The impressive altar piece is a structure with four corinthic pillars, Evangelist reliefs, crucifixion and resurrection. The grand field is a magnificent Romanesque altar front, covered in gilt and browned copper plates, one of the famous golden altars from ab. 1200. The beaten reliefs are mounted in rock crystals.
Pulpit in late Renaissance/ Pews in late Renaissance with coat of arms.
Late Gothic altar candelabres. A small late Medieval mess bell hangs in its original place in the roof of the choir. In the choir is a late Gothic parish clerk /priest stool with gables decorated with cruciferic flowers and fials and with a fragmentaric minuskel-inscription A small late Gothic choir arch crucifix. A Romanesque granite font in West Jutland type with rope ornaments and a strange foot with small archades and high corner claws. A wooden font in late Renaissance from ab. 1640-50 with a contemporary sounding board is not in use. A very large pulpit in late Renaissance, similar to the altar piece, with a contemporary sounding board. A magnificent pew section in late Renaissance from 1634 and 1647 ,the upper section with the paternal and maternal coat of arms of Knud Gyldenstierne. Pulpit from ab. 1650 with good paintings of Christ and the apostles. Between nave and porch is an interesting door-wing, probably late Romanesque with archade fields. Two late Gothic figures, a Virgin Mary and a Kristoforus are at Ringkøbing Museum.
view from altar section to gallery with paintings.
wooden font in late Renaissance with sounding board.
Manors in Stadil sogn:
Søndervang possibly belonged to Bo Høg, who was said to pawn it to his brother-in-law at Vosborg. In 1424 his paternal grandson Lage Rød had a feud with Ingeborg Vendelbo of Vosborg about S. In 1464 and 1496 it belonged to the væbner (esquire) Claus Jensen (Skeel?) whose daughter fru Edel (+ after 1552) married Josef Rekhals, who in 1511 is mentioned of S. In 1538 it seems that Predbjørn Podebusk of Vosborg and Peder Ebbesen (Galt) owned a part of the farm. Josef Rekhals' daughter Birgitte brought it to her husband Terkel Pedersen, væbner (esquire) of Føvling (+ o. 1563), whose daughter Maren was married to Erik Vognsen, who in 1563 and 1593 is written of S. In 1603, after it had burnt down recently, it belonged to Mads Thomesen, who in 1607 conveyed it to Knud Gyldenstierne of Tim (+ 1636), whose daughter Jytte (+ 1640) brought it to her husband rigsråd (counsellor of state) hr. Otte Thott of Næs (+ 1636), who put the land of Pittrup and Nymark under the main farm, which he in 1653 sold to his brother-in-law Jørgen Rosenkrantz of Keldgård, who owned it with adjoined estate in 1662. From him it went back to the sister Dorthe Rosenkrantz, Otte Thott's widow, who in 1667 with her son-in-law Jørgen Krabbe and her stepson Knud Thott conveyed S. with adjoined estate to dr. med. Thomas Fuiren (+ 1673). After him it belonged to his brother's son Didrik Fuiren of Fuirendal (+ 1686), his widow Margrethe Eilers of Støvringgård (+ 1708) and her daughter friherreinde (baroness)Christine Fuiren (+ 1735), married to gehejmeråd Jens Harboe (+ 1709), after whom it with Østertoft was sold at auction to regimentskvartermester (military-chief) Svenning Andersen (+ 1760), whose estate in 1760 conveyed it to krigsråd (war counsellor) Peder Panderup of Marsvinslund, who in 1769 convyed it with taxes and estate plus the farm Østertoft to generalauditør (military title) Andreas Høyer of Irup (+ 1782). Later owners: Brockdorff, Toft, Slot, The Credit Institution, Skibsted, a consortium; from 1947 A. Kolby.
Østertoft was in 1668 conveyed by Dorthe Rosenkrantz of Søndervang to ridefoged (bailiff) at the same place Laurids Jensen (+ 1681) and it seems it came with his daughter to Rasmus Andersen of Søgård, whose daughter was married 1. time to Knud Hansen Rafn of Ø. (+ 1698) and the 2. time to Thomas Pedersen of Ø. and Staby Kærgård (+ 1730), whose widow Karen Riegelsdatter in 1731 together with her stepdaughter's husband Claus Caspergaard (later of Todbøl) conveyed Ø. to fru Christine Fuiren, and after this Ø. was a farm under Søndervang.
Vest Stadil Fjord
In Stadilholm is in 1455 mentioned væbner (esquire) Las Daa, who in 1456 pawned Pilegård and Østergård in Stadil sogn (parish) to priest Jens Jepsen same place and in 1459 conveyed it to bishop in Ribe Henrik Stangeberg, who had to redeem the pawn himself.
Stadilø is in 1583 named "Stalø" and was owned by Folmer Rosenkrantz of Stensballegård.
Kampgård was according to legend an earlier king's castle. Before the reformation it belonged to gråbrødreklostret (Fransiscan)in Ribe, but was in 1547 bought by Claus Sehested. In 1688 it was under Søndervang.
Names in the Middle Ages and the 1600s:
Stadil (1263 Stathel), Stadilby (1688 Stadel bye), Mejlby (1263 Mæthelby), Opstrup (1321 Opstorp), Fuglbjerg (1438 Fowælbergh), Stadilø (1610 Staddel Øe), Søndervang (1424 Synderwong), Søtoft (1624 Siøe tofft), Dybkær (1493 Dyker), Skadborg (1664 Schadborrig), Højen (1664 Paa Høyenn, Bjerg (1664 Paa Bieririg).
In the parish was earlier (besides the above mentioned Stadilholm (1455 Stathelholm, * 1489 Holm), also mentioned Pilegård (1340 Pylægaardh), and Østergård (1340 Østergord) in Opstrup; furthermore the farms Højstadil (1688 Høystadell), Holgård (1688 Huolgaardt) and Bertelsgård (1688 Bertelszgaardt).
There are no preserved prehistorics in the area, but there were 3 now out-ploughed hills, among those the large Bavnehøj i Opstrup. - At Alrum was examined a settlement from early Roman Iron Age.
Kilde :Trap Danmark, Ringkøbing amt, 1965.
photo Stadil 2003/2004: grethe bachmann & stig bachmann nielsen Naturplan Foto
