Villersø church / Villersø kirke, Djurs Nørre herred, Randers amt.

foto: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

foto: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

The small church in Villersø has a Romanesque choir and nave with Gothic additions, a tower to the west and a porch to the south. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. The straight-edged north door is bricked-up with ashlars, while the south door probably is remade. Upon the northside of the choir and the nave is a round arched window. In the late Gothic period was built cross vaults, in the choir one, in the nave two, and the choir arch is re-walled with monk bricks. The slender tower, which has a point-arched opening to the west, is probably from the late Gothic period, but the upper section with pyramid spire is re-walled, probably in the 1800s. The porch has flank walls in granite boulder and monk bricks, probably from the reformation period, but without dated details. The gable wall was re-walled with small bricks in the 1800s. The building was repaired in 1943, when the south windows got fladbuestik in yellow bricks.

The communion table is covered in a panelwork with portalfields in Renaissance, from ab. 1625. The altarpiece, which is a work of rural Renaissance with a painted year 1642, has naive biblical paintings. A couple of wall blocks at the triumph wall were possibly used for sidealtars. A chalice from 1790, according to Latin inscription given by the priest and the church guardian as a replacement of a chalice, which was destroyed in a fire. Small, late Gothic ore candelabres. A Romanesque granite font in Djursland-type with double vine upon the basin and lion figures with corner heads upon the foot. The pulpit is a simple joinery in Renaissance ab. 1640. Pews from ab. 1700. Chandelier with initials: II SF MIDER and the year 1723.
In the porch painted grave plates for birkedommer Peder Bay, + 1787 and wife, Ane Holst, + 1779 ("hendes udgang ... forårsagedes af den bedrøvelige grasserende blodgang...")  her death was caused by some kind of hemorrhage. In the dike of the churchyard to the west is a late Gothic portal with a round arched driving gate and  a small gate.

fladbuestik in yellow bricks

The væbner Niels Mikkelsen lived in 1481 in Dalstrup. 

Listed prehistorics: 4 hills like the large Skelhøj, which belongs to the group Thorsø høje in Voldby parish.
Demolished or destroyed: 17 hills, almost all northeast of the village.

The Stone Age sacrifice-site in Veggerslev mose (moor) stretches into Villersø parish. From a hill are known 4 grave finds from early Bronze Age, one with a necklace, 4 bracelets etc. - At Dalstrup was found a gold bracelet, formed by two winding square bars.

Names in the Middle Ages:  Villersø (1468 Villesø, Wildessøø, 1489 Villessiø); Dalstrup (1481 Dalstrvp).

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963. 

photo 3. March 2012: grethe bachmann and stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk