Hammelev church/ Hammelev kirke, Randers amt.

Hammelev church, ab. 5 km north of Grenå.

Hammelev parish, Djurs Nørre herred, Randers amt.

The highplaced church in Hammelev has a Romanesque choir and nave with a late Gothic tower to the west and a porch from the reformation period to the south. The wellkept Romanesque building is built in limestone ashlars; the choir upon a beveled plinth, the nave upon a plinth with rundstav (a list/ "round stick") above a beveled plinth. In the east wall of the choir is a bricked-up circular window - and to the north a re-opened round arch window. Against custom the nave is richer decorated than the choir.  Its corner lisens reach a height with the arcade friezes, which run at the top of both flank walls with rich variated "sticks" carved in the limestone with branches, leaf and braiding. Upon the north side the frieze is broken by a high-placed round arch window. The west gable has rests of arches, which indicate that it has had high glare arcades alike the arcades on the tower in Voldby church. The bricked-up north portal, which is placed in a protruding straight-edged field, has a round arched stick above small kragsten around a smooth tympanum. The lower edge is accompanied by an English-Normannic influenced "roll-billet". The south door which is in use is outside and has "swallowed" the original door. The choir arch was extended in the 1400s, when the choir had one and the nave three cross vaults, which against custom are engraved into the walls wihout skjoldbuer ( arch connected between vault and wall).

Almost contemporaty to the vaults ab. 1475 was the tower, added in monk bricks. The cross vaulted bottom room opens to the nave by a pointed tower arch. The roof gables are north south. The porch in monk bricks has a small rectangular window in a round arched frame to the east. At the nave on the south east lisen are deeply carved initials NC and SL and the year 1639. On the north side AM G NT. At at the choir gable's south lisen is carved a ship. The building was restored in 1953-54. During the restoration was found badly kept frescoes from the Renaissance, which were washed over.

Hammelev vicarage

The communion table is in limestone ashlars, and it has a large nich in the back. The altarpiece is a painting from 1953-54. The earlier altarpiece from 1867 was a painting by fru Ingemann. Chalice and dish were given by Christen Jensen Broch. Late Gothic altar candelabres with a soft profiled foot upon sitting lions. A Romanesque granite font of Djursland-type with a double leaf garland and a square foot. A Nederland dish ab. 1650 with engraved wines. It was brought to the church in ab. 1930 by pastor Metz. A pulpit from ab. 1600 in simple high Renaissance with Chorintic pillars and portal fields. Bell from 1852 by P.P. Meilstrup.

Epitaph in black slate with a Latin inscription for parish priest Ove Christensen Nimtofte (+ 1644) and wife and their son-in-law Christen Jensen Broch (+ 1677), his wife and their son. Under the nave a bricked up priest burial. North of the church two gravestones in neo Classicism, one is a stele for parish priest Gerhardt Munck (+ 1834). (He introduced the smalllpox vaccine in the local district and did it himself). The other memorial from ab. 1820 in sandstone has the shape of a flat curved gravetree with an inscription field. The stone was according to tradition meant for the crew from a wrecked ship "Hilam".

Stensmark belonged according to Valdemar Jordebog to the Crown's estate. Christoffer of Bayern endowed in 1441 hr. Otte Nielsen (Rosenkrantz) with Grenå, Anholt and Stensmark etc for life; his son hr. Erik Ottesen (+ 1503) and son's son hr. Niels Eriksen (+ 1516) were also endowed with S.,  and still in 1538 S. was pawned to members of the family Rosenkrantz. Later S. belonged to Grenå By (town), but in 1575 the king exchanged a desolate field called S. to Erik Lykke of Skovgård, his son Falk Lykke exchanged S. to Sostrup (Benzon); whereafter it was under this farm's main farm charge, but the land was rented to the local peasants. It was sold as a free main farm in 1839 to O.A.la Cour of Timgård (+ 1860), his son-in-law N. P. la Cour (+ 1856) took it over in 1845 and sold it in 1855 to major A. W. Dinesen of Katholm (+ 1876),  whose son  W.L. Dinesen of Katholm in 1909 sold it to a consortium. The farm changed often owner until it was sold in 1918 to R Ric-Hansen, who was followed in 1956 by his son A Ric-Hansen.

Hammelevgård established 1843 . Owner in1963 B. Johnsen.

Fornæs seems to mean "fårenæse" (sheep's nose). Upon the meadow Stensmark was in the Valdemar period a considerable sheep farming, from which the king had a yearly tax of 140 rams (acc. to Valdemar Jordebog). Here was probably once a mill Vejrnemølle (1505 Veyrne mølle).  

Listed prehistorics: two hills at Stensmark: Rytterhøj and Hvidehøj, the last in the garden.

Demolished or destroyed: 5 hills, among which Møgelhøj northeast of Hammelev.

At Fornæs Fyr (lighthouse) is an important settlement and a flint chopping place from Dolktid, 2400-1700 B.C. (Late Stone Age). 
 
Names from the Middle Ages: Hammelev 1404 (Hamætløff); Stensmark (1231 Stensmarc). 

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963.


 photo May 2009: grethe bachmann