Oddense church/ Oddense kirke, Hindborg herred, Viborg amt.

Oddense church, ab. 10 km northwest of Skive.

Oddense parish, Hindborg herred, Viborg amt.

Contrary to traditions of the local district the church in Oddense is rather large. It lies upon a flat hill in the parish town with a Romanesque choir and nave and a late Gothic western tower and a porch to the north. Choir and nave are built in granite ashlars upon a profiled plinth. From original details is the choir arch kept with profiled kragbånd, the bricked-up east window of the choir and two bricked-up windows to the north, - and the broad south portal of the nave with a flat monolite lintel, which is carried by two free columns with rough capitals. An ashlar with a lion figure in deep relief is inserted in the northern part of the triumph arch. From the northern portal, or maybe from a priest door upon the northside of the choir - which lintel still is on its place in the strongly re-built wall work - origin two high ashlars with elegant column decorations, which bear reminders about the wooden architecture, now bricked-in at the south side of the tower. At the north side of the choir were during a restoration in 1956 discovered foundations from a medieval sacristy. In the late Middle Ages were in the nave built three bays star vaults upon projecting pillars. The tower has smooth gables north-south ; it is built in monk bricks above re-used ashlars from the western gable of the nave. There is access to the other storeys via a free staircase to the north. The tower room, which is connected to the nave by a low, point arched arcade, has an original cross vault, re-walled in 1871. The large porch in monk bricks has a gable with broad point arched glares. In Pont. Atlas 1768 is mentioned two porchs.  The whole church is lead roofed. The porch and the upper section of the tower are white-washed.

Upon the star vault of the nave is a rich decoration of interesting frescoes from the reformation period with inscriptions in Danish and Latin, painted by the same master as the frescoes in Torum church (Salling Nørre herred). There are biblical scenes and folklore legends with devils etc. In the western bay are naive Evangelist pictures,which were painted in 1878, when the old paintings became the subject to a restoration by a local painter, which could be characterized as a ruthless overpainting. Paintings by this restorator are also found below in the eastern vault. 

 

A pretty communion table panel from ab. 1650 with original paintings in the arcade fields. Altarpiece from 1602, painting from ab. 1800 in the big field. Ore candelabres  from 1550-1600. A large Romanesque granite font with roundstick around the smooth basin. Pulpit in rural Renaissance with Evangelist-pictures from ab. 1700 in the big fields. Pretty benches from the late 1800s with new colours. Iron bound fattigblok ( box for money-collection for the poor). Series pastorum in the tower room. Bell 1802, cast by Reimer in Randers, hangs in an old bell frame. In the brick-up in the south door is a large cross-decorated gravestone in Romanesque type. Upon the church yard a large worn out gravestone from the 1700s for a member of the family Sadolin. Neo Gothic portal with driving-gate at the western dike.

Saustrup was in 1455 by Peder Nielsen pawned to bishop Knud in Viborg. In 1519 it was inhabited by a peasant. I 1661 it was divided in two farms, which by the Crown were laid out to hr. Ove Giedde's heirs. His great-grandchild Dorte Giedde (+ 1743) was married to captain Niels Høeg (Banner) (+ 1725), who lived here in 1716, while she as widow lived her in 1728. In 1780 it was divided in Over Saustrup and Neder Saustrup, which by Johs. Hansen were sold to Axel Rosenkrantz Lasson of Astrup, who sold them before 1791. 

Bligård was in 1514 by Henrik Steen sold to bishop Erik Kaas.

Torsmark (earlier Torshøj) belonged from ab. 1850 the family Ladefoged; in 1954 it was taken over by A. Wibholm.

Hindborg herred's tingsted (judicial place for the thing) was possibly before 1688 south of Oddense church (close to the church lies Tinghøj).

Listed prehistorics: one longhill and 19 hills, of which several are rather large: one north of Næstild, two south of Kåstrup, one east of Oddense, two west of Vestergårde, the large Ravnshøj upon  Torsmark, Elsehøj north of Saustrup and Tinghøj south of Oddense.

Demolished or destroyed: 106 hills and longhills; they were placed close in Frammerslev and around Oddense and Saustrup.


Names in the Middle Ages: Oddense (1410 Otenssogen, 1479 Otthensæ); Frammerslev (1464 Frammeszløff, 1524 Frammersløff); Næstild (1410 Nestill, ab. 1525 Nestildt); Kåstrup (1524 Kastrop); Lille Ramsing (1589 Lille Ramsing); Vestergårde (1524 Vestergarde, -gardt); Saustrup (1519 Saustrup); Saustrupgård (1455 Saustrups gard); Bligård (1514 Bligard).

GB

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt 1962. 

photo: borrowed from Google, gb