Allerslev church, Vordingborg Kommune, Sjælland

Allerslev kirke/ photo gb

Allerslev church is situated high in the village of Allerslev. The country road between Præstø and Mern runs past the church. South and west of the church are beautiful large lime trees. The church yard itself is also rather closely plant. The church is placed in a hilly terrain, where the village is surrounded by fields and the white-washed church is very visible in the pretty landscape and functions as a significant point of orientation. 

Allerslev church belonged in a period to king Christian V. who gave it to the queen's courtmaster-lady Sidsel Grubbe. The church had various owners during the centuries; three owners were Jungshoved, Engelholm and Oremandsgaard, before the church in 1914 was transferred to freehold.

Allerslev church has a Romanesque choir and nave with a late Romanesque extension, a late Gotic west tower, a sacristy north of the tower and a porch from the second half of the 1800s. The white-washed tiled church is built in limestone ashlars, while the tower is built in monk bricks. The choir has to the east and north a double bevell-edged plinth, while the possibly older nave to the south has a cornice frieze upon a bevell-edged plinth. The round arched northdoor stands since 1915 and in the east frame are two interesting runic inscriptions: "Jordan ristede runer; tyde dem, den som kan?" og "?Gyrth ristede sit navn på ? messe?"

Allerslev kirke/photo gb

The south door is vaguely visible. The choir had to the east and north some broad and low, now bricked-in windows, while none of the other light-openings of the nave are visible. In the late Roman period the nave was extended to the west and in the extension were placed two new doors, the north door seen inside with planks and the south door has been changed but is in use. In the late Gothic
period  was built in two cross vaults and the choir arch was changed. In late gothic period the choir had built in two cross vaults and the choir arch was changed. 

The nave has still  a flat ceiling. From the same period as the vault of the choir is the sacristy which is unusually large - and from the beginning it was equipped with a sadkle roof parallel with the saddle roof of the choir.  Upon the wall of the sacristy is a wall-cupboard from 1700s. Both church bells are late Gothic, probably cast by the same craftsman. The tower in monk bricks has belts of limestone  ashlars and the cross vault has a bottom room and a triangular tower arch and a stair-house in the southeast corner. A medieval gravestone was used twice ca 1630 and 1758. All the present windows are from 1868 and the neogothic porch somewhat younger.

Allerslev kirke/ wikipedia

Upon the bricked, plank-covered communion table stands an altarpiece in high Renaissance with painted year 1590, but it is possibly a little earlier, since the top field has Denmark's and Mecklenburg's coat of arms (the last for Frederik 2.'s queen Sofie.) The great field is divided in six and flanked by Corinthic pillars. The altarpiece looks like it was made by the socalled "Bårse herreds snedker" (joiner). The two bottom pilastres have logos with monograms HB, RH and TC. Upon the great pillars' postaments are small reliefs. The Chatecism-altarpiece was in 1988 restored, directed by church painter Erik Ring Hansen.

The pulpit is Renaissance from 1610 and carved at Abel Scrøders workshop in Næstved. Restored in 1935. The chalice from 1812 is an unusual shape, almost like an urn upon a shaft, surrounded by three hangers  and the contemporary wafer box functions as a lid. A neogothic altar jar is from 1861. The heavy baluster-shaped Renaissance candelabres from ab. 1625 have holes from disappeared feet. An unusual pretty young Gothic choir arch crucifix from the beginning of the 1300s is restored in 1935 with a new metal crown. The Romanesque, rather course granite font with leaf ornaments is related to the font in Køng kirke.

 

Upon the new upper pews are top pieces from the middle of the 1600s with angel heads. The angel heads upon the upper pews are carved ab. 1650 by an excellent master. In 1993 the artist Bodil Kaalund made an exciting new up-painting upon the other 19 top fields of the pews, she painted small motifs from known verses in Danish psalms. Allerslev kirke's Busch organ is from 1890. In connection to a restoration of the church in 1993 the gallery was decorated with three biblical motifs by Bodil Kaalund. 

Allerslev kirke/ photo gb

Source:  Beskrevne kirker i Danmark,  Allerslev kirke, Præstø .

photo: grethe bachmann

photo: wikipedia.