Skivholme church / Skivholmd kirke, Framlev herred, Århus amt.

foto: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

The church in Skivholme has a nave and choir with apse, a tower to the west and a porch to the south. The nave and choir are from the Romanesque period and without any special plinth. It is built in raw, cleaved granite boulder and travertine. The walls of the choir were later enheightend with bricks. An original apse was broken down in 1801. The Romanesque north windows, 3 in the nave and 1 in the choir,are all in use. Besides are in the southside of the choir and in the north side two low placed circle glares, which possibly are bricked-up light openings. One of the round arched doors is bricked-up. The vaguely pointed choir arch is possibly contemporary with the built of the strange late Romanesque choir vault with profiled ribs and a hanging mushroom-shaped keystone, which is known from Øm kloster. The 3 cross vaults of the nave are late medieval. The tower has a pyramid roof, it is a late medieval monk brick building, new after a re-wall in 1898-99, when the church was restored. The vaulted tower room is connected to the nave in a pointed arch. The porch with a glare gable is also a late Gothic monk brick building. In the mentioned restoration was built a new apse in red monk bricks upon the old foundation. Choir, nave and porch are white-washed. The roofs have slates, except the apse, which is roofed with lead. The nave had frescoes already before the building of the vaults, traces are seen on the north wall above the vaults. Upon the vaults of the choir and the nave were in 1896 found interesting frescoes. Upon the choir vault were the coat of arms of  Jens Iversen Lange and Niels Clausen Skade and the mark and year 1503 of the chapter. Upon the vaults of the nave are partly biblical, partly symbolic pictures and a display of various saints (Sct. Clemens, Sct. Knud Hertug (Knud Lavard) and Sct Oluf).

foto: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

The altarpiece is a painting in neo Gothic frame, probably like the oakwood communion table from the restoration 1898-99. Altar candelabres in ore from the 1500s. Altar chalice from 1889. The granite font is of newer date. The pulpit and sounding board in Renaissance style from ab. 1600 with the name of the dean Niels Lauridsen Hase, now without decoration. New pewts. In the tower room an early Gothic Madonna figure from ab. 1300. The bell is cast by Borchard Gelgieser 1613. Parts of a carved epitaph in bruskbarok from 1676 is now used as series pastorum.  In the porch a worn-out gravestone with Rococo decoration.

Erik, a son of hr. Niels Bæger, conveyed in 1305 his estate in Bøstholm and Brinne to Broder Degn, canon in Århus. He had in 1311 from archbishop Esger Juul conveyed estate in Troldrup mark, which Niels Bise had pawned to hr. Esger; in an exchange Broder Degn bought the same year Jens Assersen's and Asser Jonsen's estate in Brinne and Grimskær, and he had in 1314 conveyed hr. Niels Kurv's farm in Brinne and bought 1319 a farm with mill in Troldrup, which Palle Jensen of Støvring had inherited from his father-in-law hr. Niels Lænde.  In 1321 Broder Degn gave his farm in Grimskær and Holme mill to Århus chapter.  - Erik Nielsen (Bæger) of Bøstholm is mentioned in 1304, Jens Assersen of Grimskær in 1311.

The parish was in the Middle Ages called Skyde (1304 Skydhæ). Several villages in the parish have disappeared: Troldrup (1311 Throldorpmark), which possibly was placed at the castle bank Troldhøj. Bøgestedholm (1304 Bøstæholm, Bøstholm, 1305 Bøkistatholm) at Terp, Grimskær southeast of Skivholme skov and Brinne (1305 Brinne mark). 

At the southwestern corner of Lading sø (lake) lies a medieval castle bank Troldhøj, Trolleborg or Trollerupgård, mentioned in the 1300s as Troltorp. The bank consists of an almost circular castle bank ab. 11m diameter on the top and ab. 3 m high. The moats which are open down to the lake are digged into the cliff. They were once water-filled. To the south is a large almost rectangular flat area surrounded by moats, probably the site of the farm building. Here are found pieces of monk bricks and stone foundations, probably house remnants.
Close east of this seems to have been a water mill, where there are traces in form of down-driven poles. The mill got water from a diked pond to the south.


There are no listed prehistorics in the parish, but there were 13 hills, of which 6 formed a group east of Herskind. According to an old report were also some large stone graves, which placement is not known.

Names in the Middle Ages: Skivholme (1335 Holmæ in parochia Skydhæ, 1508 Hollom Mark); Herskind (1506 Hierslundt, 1544 Herskyndt); Terp (ab. 1200 Thorp); Grimskærgård (1311 Grynskiær, 1495 Grimskier). 

Source: Trap Danmark, Århus amt, 1963.  

photo 25. February 2012: grethe bachmann and stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk