Stjær church / Stjær kirke, Framlev herred, Aarhus amt.

Stjær kirke, ab 15 km west of Aarhus
Stjær sogn, Framlev herred, Aarhus amt.

In the parish is a very hilly terrain from northeast. Tåstrup sø, only 12 m above sea level, lies to the southwest where the surface in several places are above 100 m and the highest point 129 m, north of Vindskovgård. In the parish is a listed forest, Stjær Stenskov, with an interesting stone-sprinkling , a rest from the melt-down in Ice Age.

The church lies in the middle of Stjær village. It was built in the 1100s and has a Romanesque nave and choir and a later added tower to the west and a porch to the south. Nave and choir are in granite ashlars, and the white-washed tower from the end of the Middle Ages is in ashlars, granite boulders and monk bricks, while the porch from recent time is in yellow bricks. The finest ornament in Stjær church is the magnificent south door with its pillars with reliefs of Samson and Michael(?), while the cover stone between two winged lions has a tympanum field with a crucifixion group. In the choir is built a cross vault, the nave has a beamed ceiling. The choir arch is extended, ashlars from the old choir arch are at the church yard. The tower has round arch openings with a middle pillar at all sides. A highplaced door at the northside is out of use after the vault of the tower was broken down.


(click to enlarge)

Communion table in oak from the same time as the neo Romanesque altarpiece with a painting from 1896. New candelabres. A Romanesque granite font with lions, birds and akanthus-decoration. A small baptismal bowl, Netherland type from ab. 1650. Pulpit in neo Romanesque style; the earlier pulpit was from 1601. The pews are from the end of the 1800s. To the west a gallery with organ. The bell is cast in 1876. Below the gallery hangs a memorial tablet for Dannebrogsmand ( medal) J.M.A. Juul and farmer Mads Jensen, who each gave 100 rigsbankdaler to the church.

Animal reliefs the portal

New decoration in 2006.
Inside Stjær church was in 2006 decorated by Stjær Billedmagere (picture artists). They created it with a respect for the church and the inventory . The colours are green and red nuances with a white cross upon benches, in windows and upon the chausuble. The white cross = The Holy Spirit Cross.


Names in the Middle Ages:
Stjær: (*1326 Styærdhæ; 1480 Stiær).

When ploughing a field in Stjær was in 1803 found a big number of copper coins ( ca. 9500 pieces) from Erik Menveds period, put down ab. 1319.

Prehistoric:
There are no listed preshistorics in the parish but there were 25 hills, which now all are demolished . In a hill north of Stjær was a rich grave from Roman Iron Age with a bronze dish , a wooden bucket, glass bowl, a bone comb, silver ring etc. Not far from here was found two gold bars from Iron Age.

Sources: Trap Danmark, Århus amt, 1963; Stjær sogneside


photo Stjær kirke 2002: grethe bachmann

Elsted church Elsted kirke, Vester Lisbjerg herred, Århus amt.

Elsted Church, 10 km north or Århus

The sun dial

Elsted Church has a choir and nave from the Romanesque period built partly in granite ashlars, partly in cleaved granite boulders. The church has white-washed walls and a tiled roof. The tower and porch are late Gothic in monk bricks. The tower is the narrow East Jutland-type, originally open in front. Later the opening was walled and in the 1700s a portal was added. In the gable of the porch is a sun dial with the year 1727.

The high-placed Romanesque windows are brought to light as niches on the north side of the nave and a Romanesque window is vaguely seen in the north and east wall of the choir. Both doors in the nave are preserved, the north door is walled, while the south door still functions with a round-arched opening and relief stones.

The church has a beamed ceiling, while the choir has a Gothic cross vault. The tall choir arch is preserved from Romanesque period with kragbånd. (oblong relief stone-band). Upon the vault of the choir was in 1944 brought to light a rib-decoration from  the late Gothich period - and upon triumfvæggen (wall between church and altar) was found a small bit of a Romanesque frescoe. A Gothic cupboard with old furniture and grating is framed below the walled window in the north side of the choir. It was possibly once a monstrans cupboard .The Romanesque granite font has lion figures - the simply decorated pulpit is from 1636. There are several large gravestones, partly in the porch and partly in the nave.


Kirkegaden, the village street leads to Elsted church

New Art in Elsted kirke:
Jens Urup, who has created much art in Danish churches, has decorated the ceiling of the nave as a wonderful violet evening sky. The beautiful new altar wall is created by Bent Exner, the great gold- and silversmith, who also has created unique church art. Bent Exner died in 2006.
 

Names in the Middle ages: Elsted (1374 Elstedt, 1439 Æstet, Ælstethæ).

Øm Kloster exchanged 1490 a farm in Elsted with the Crown.

The now disappeared Såstrupgård was the last rest of a village Såstrup (1425 Sastrop). A bol (a small farm) Fornebol (1490 Forneboer, Fæderneboel) is mentioned in the parish in 1490.


Listed prehistorics: two hills, of which the large Blindemandshøj. (Blind Man's Hill).
Destroyed: two hills.

Claypot graves from the Roman period have been found at several sites in Elsted parish.


source: Trap Danmark, Århus amt, 1963.


photo Elsted 2003: grethe bachmann