Lee church, Lee kirke, Middelsom herred, Viborg amt.

Lee church, ab. 12 km east of Viborg.

Lee parish, Middelsom herred, Viborg amt. 


Lee church has a choir, nave and a new tower to the west and at the north side a porch, which was rebuilt into a burial chapel. The kernel is choir and nave in Romanesque ashlars upon a bevelled plinth. The wall work seems rebuilt in present period, especially at the south side, where each trace from a portal has been wiped out. The choir gable is rebuilt into timber, upon the north side are three Romanesque windows, all extended in the lighting. The simple north door, which was used as entrance until 1932, is bricked-up, but is seen as a niche in- and outside. At the restoration of the church in 1932 the high white washed tower was built and the porch from 1858 was rebuilt into a burial chapel.

The church has beamed ceilings inside, and the choir arch has been kept. The large broad altarpiece is a Baroque carving from 1734, acc  to versified inscription Christen Skeel's widow, Augusta Vinterfelt let this year both altarpiece and pulpit renew, while herredsfoged (district bailiff) Peder Høeg let them decorate, in the middle field a big last supper painting, in the top piece Gethsemane, both paintings contemporary with the carvings. A Romanesque granite font. The pulpit from 1734 has in the fields half-length portraits of the Evangelists and the Saviour. Upon the wall a large Baroque epitaph for Anne Cathrine Lassen (+ 1736) and the above mentioned P. Høeg, (+ 1753) in wood, marbled, decorated and gilt. In the tower a medieval and very old bell without inscription. The church was restored again in 1949.  

Himmestrup belonged to Lange Jens Hvas of Ormstrup, whose widow Johanne Hansdatter of Vindum and son Erik Hvas 1511 transferred it to High Court Judge Niels Clementsen of Aunsbjerg. After this it was owned by Peder Ebbesen Galt of Palsgård (+ 1548), his son-in-law Erik Kaas (Sparre-Kaas) of Lindbjerg (+ 1578), his widow Kirsten Pedersdatter Galt (+ 1616) and their son rigsråd hr. Mogens Kaas of Støvringgård (+ 1656), who is the real founder of the main farm. After his daughter Mette Kaas' death 1695 the heirs sold on auction H. to Benedicte Margrete Brockdorff, widow after Jøgen Skeel of Gl. Estrup. The son grev Christen Scheel (+ 1731) and his son grev Jørgen Scheel (+ 1786) owned it, but sold in 1749 H. and Viskum to Hans Christensen Juul (+ 1769), whose heirs in 1770 deeded H. to their brother and brother-in-law kancelliråd Christen Juul of Viskum, who in 1787 sold it and Viskum to his son Hans Juul, who in 1795 had royal confirmation to sell the estate withlout loss of the hovedgårdsfrihed (main farm freedom) and the outparcelling, whereeafter he sold it in 1801 to birkedommer, kancelliråd Christen Hedegård (+ 1816).
Later owners: Margrethe Sehested; Elisabeth Birg. Preetzmann; Theodor Hermann Rendtorff; Jens Laursen; Anders Jensen; P. Rasmussen; Th. Thomsen; Chr. From in 1933.

A manor Restrup or Rejstrup supposedly was placed at Rejstrup Gaardsted, a hillside out into a valley at Krogstederne. The appointed place has no special traces after a farm site or trace from any fortification.  

Listed prehistorics: at Fruegårde two long dolmens close to each other: one Jyndovnen has a chamber with a cover stone. 10 hills, of which one at Himmestrup is rather large.
Demolished or destroyed: 50 hills. Southwest of Lee was a pretty group Mangehøje, 10 hills, of which only 3 are kept. Besides seem to have been a couple of stone graves close to the listed long dolmens.

A runestone found downside the church hill was brought to Copenhagen, where it was lost in the fire in1728. The only left from inscription was "...dor...rejste denne sten efter ..." ("...dor-... raised this stone after...").

Names in  the Middle Ages  and 1600s: Lee (1449 Leedh, 1463 Lee); Nørre Tulstrup (1490 Tulstrvp); Krog (1411 Kraagsgaard); Knebberhede (1683 Kneberheede, Kneber Heede Huus, Kneber Husit); Koldbæk (1453 Kolbecks Møllestedt, 1664 Koldbech); Himmestrup (1490 Hemestrvp); Hedemølle (1664 Heede Mølle); Skærriskrog (1683 Skeris Krog); Kirkeskovgård (1683 Kirche Skou Krog; Ovenskovgård (1683 Owerskou); Vesterkrog (1683 Westerkrog Skouhuus) ; Restrup krog (1664 Reistrup Krog); Lille Torsager (1683 Lille Torsz Ager, Lille Tors Ager Huusz); Dunkø (1683 Donckøe, Dunckøe Huus.)  



Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962.


photo: borrowed from Google earth, 2013, gb

News Lee church.
The old church bell is from the 1100s. The church has got a new bell which was inaugurated 27 June 2004. The bells hangs next to each other. The new bell takes care of the daily ringing by help of eletronics, while the old bell is only used for services. The National Museum does not allow the old bell to be used too much.