Friday, August 14, 2009

Højslev church/ Højslev kirke and Stårupgård, Fjends herred, Viborg amt.


Højslev Church, 20 km northeast of Viborg
Højslev sogn, Fjends herred, Viborg amt.


The impressive church of an unusual wall height consists of Romanesque apse, choir and nave with a late Gothic western tower, a southern porch and chapel. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars. Both original doors are preserved. There are Romanesque windows in the walls of the apse and the choir and two unusually high placed windows in the northern wall of the nave.

Inside the choir and nave have beamed ceilings, while the apse has a half domed vault. The big south chapel, which was arranged as a burial chapel by Bjørn Kaas, is mostly built in ashlars , since only the eastern wall had larger monk bricks sections. The Communion table is ashlars and monk bricks - the altarpiece is richly carved from ab. 1640 and probably originally an epitaph. The altar crucifix was originally a coffin decoration from ab. the 1700s. The Romanesque granite font has double lions while the basin is somewhat spoiled. On the corner of the foot are male human heads.

The pulpit is Renaissance from 1585 with the coat of arms of Bjørn Kaas and fru Christence Nielsdatter Rotfeld whose coat of arms is also upon the parish clerk stool (parts from this dated 1571). Herskabsstole (Lord of the Manor stools) with the paternal and maternal (Ulfeld) coat of arms of Henrik Friis and the year 1698.

The church bell is from the end of the 1400s with a minuskelindskrift (inscription in small letters). The church ship is a full-rigged ship from 1900. In the porch is a Romanesque gravestone with cross and majuskelindskrift (inscription in capital letters ) - and in the chapel is a portrait stone of Bjørn Kaas (+1581) and Christence Nielsdatter Rotfeld (+ 1601).

Source: Trap Danmark,Viborg amt;
photo 2003: grethe bachmann


Stårupgård
Højslev sogn, Fjends herred, Viborg amt.

The Great Hall

Stårupgård is placed upon a trapeze-formed motte; water-filled moats surround the motte on all four sides. The two-storey main building is built upon a heavy foundation in raw granite boulder. The house is built in monk bricks and is now white-washed below a red tile gable roof. On the north side are traces of a west wing and a hemmelighedskarnap ( a toilet bay). On the south side was once a circular stair tower. The entrance door is framed in sandstone and above is placed a tablet with the coat of arms of rigsråd Bjørn Kaas and the year 1554.

The first time Stårupgård is mentioned in written sources is in 1364, when the owner was hr. Jep Lagesen Saltensee of Linde, who in 1377 is mentioned as a son of Lage Grummesen in the nearby Ørum. After his death (first mentioned in 1410) the farm went to his son hr. Lage Jepsen Saltensee, who was married to Ide Juel, a daughter of Iver Juel of Daubjerggård . He is mentioned in 1438 and 1456 as the owner of Stårupgård , but shortly after he died, and Stårupgård was inherited by one of his two daughters Edel Lagesdatter Saltensee, who was married to Jens Nielsen Kaas. (her second marriage).

Jens Nielsen Kaas was a member of the family Kaas with a Sparre (chevron) in their coat of arms ; he was the son of Niels Kaas of Kaas and Tårupgård and in this way Stårupgård came to this most famous family in Fjends herred (district). He died after 1519 and his sons landsdommer Niels Kaas (+1535) and Mogens Kaas owned the manor together until Niels Kaas in 1531 bought out his brother and became sole owner. Everything seems to show that landsdommer Niels Kaas lived at Stårupgård and that his four sons with Anna Bjørnsdatter (+1539) of the family Bjørn lived their childhood on this manor. They all became four highly respected men in Denmark.

The second son Bjørn Kaas took over the manor after his mother's death in 1539. In his youth he travelled abroad and was later until 1554 at court. After 1554 he administered several of the most important Danish vasalries with great competence. In 1567 he became a rigsråd (councillor of State) but he was not quite wrapped up in statemanship. Gradually he became a very wealthy man, in some degree because of his marriage to the rich Christence Nielsdatter Rotfeld. At the time of his death he was the owner of Stårupgård, Vangkær, Kærsgård, Ellinggård, Vorgård, Tybjerggård and Bjersøholm, and not at least Stårupgård had the advantage of his growing interest for his property. He let build the present main building. He must have started the building in 1560.

Besides his building activities Bjørn Kaas worked in completing the peasant-estate of Stårupgård. Big parts of Højslev and the surrounding parishes had from old times belonged to the Catholic church and after the reformation to the Crown, but Bjørn Kaas bought gradually a big part of this estate and little by little he had collected that much that he could apply for Birkerettigheder (judicial rights) for the estate of Stårupgård. He was granted this in 1564 with the condition that he gradually bought out the other lodsejere (site owners) of Højslev parish. First from the middle of the 1800s this was performed in full after the judicial rights had been carried out for almost 200 years. These rights went to the State in 1804 and were annulled in 1821. Bjørn Kaas died in 1581 at Bygholm, where he was a vasal at that time, and he was buried in Højslev Church.

His son Niels Kas, who inherited Stårupgård after his father had like him achieved a good education and especially extended his knowledge by attending European universities during some years. After his homecoming he married Birgitte Timmesdatter Rosenkrantz, but he died young in 1597 and only left a daughter. His widow had an affair with her late husband's nephew Gjord Kaas of Tårupgård which was considered an incest at that time, and she was executed in 1603 in Copenhagen.

Stårupgård came to her only daughter Anne Nielsdatter Kaas, who was married to Albert Rostrup of Sjelle Skovgård. He had trouble with his economy, but still in 1615 he was mentioned as the owner of Stårupgård. Shortly after he sold some of his debt to his brother Gunde Rostrup who owned Stårupgård in 1648. Albert Rostrup later sold some part of Stårupgård to his wife's paternal aunt fru Helvig Kaas. But in 1881 it came back to the old Kaas-family since kammerherre(chamberlain) G.H Kaas of Nedergård bought it, but in 1952 it was sold to Statens Jordlovsudvalg.From 1962 Stårupgård had a couple of owners who made a thorough restoration, but anyway it was still very decayed when art- and antique dealer Lis Messman and editor Jørgen Bram bought it in 1987. Jørgen Bram is connected to Stårupgård by family since his great grandfather and his grandfather owned Stårup in the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. With support from the State the married couple has restored the estate, among other things the magnificent great hall which is brought back to its original look. The old Renaissance plan is now - with the support from Skive Kommune - the setting of an arts centre.

Stårupgård's rooms, the heavy wood work and the Renaissance colours are reconstructed in a restoration in the 1960s and a thourough repair in 1988-96. Below the western half is preserved a barrel vaulted long cellar and medieval walls. Here is now a café.

The main building of Stårupgård is reserved for antique exhibitions. Every room is furnished with distinguished antiques and furniture from the 16th up to the 19th century. Besides are uncovered paintings upon doors and walls. In the stable building is art-and antique exhibitions and a self-service café.

Link: Stårup Hovedgård

Source: Danske slotte og herregårde Nordvestjylland bd. 12; Trap Danmark Viborg amt;
Jytte Ortmann: Slotte og herregårde i Danmark; Politikens bog om Danmarks slotte og herregårde.
photo 2003: grethe bachmann


Besides the art and antiquities in the main building are also exhibitions in the large restored stable building.


The dungeon and the old cellar with a café/restaurant.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Højslev Kirkeby (*1231 Hoghæslef, 1346 Høgesløf); Stårup (*1403 Starup, 1664 Staarup); Svenstrup (*1407 Swenstrup, 1524 Swen(d)strvp); Sejstrup (*1468 Seyerstrup); Halskov (*1356 Halskoff); Vinkel (*1456 Winnckell); Degnsgårde (1618 Deinnsgaardt); Vinkelplet(*1502 Winkel plette); Stårupgård (1438 Stadorphgardh); Bådsgård (*1468 Bodtzgaardt, 1483 Bordzgard); Bruddal (1492 Brwdedall); Skovmølle (*1468 Schoumølle).

Bådsgård was in the 1400s owned by the family Munk (of Kovstrup), Christen Munk sold his brotherpart to Las Bratze (Saltensee), who in 1488 conveyed it to hr. Erik Ottesen Rosenkrantz of Bjørnholm (+ 1503). Iver Munk's part was inherited by his son Jep Iversen Knogmose; before 1483 he conveyed it to above mentioned Erik Rosenkrantz, whose daughter's daughter Ingeborg Podebusk (+ 1542) is written to it in 1524; she was then a widow after hr. Tønne Parsberg of Harrested. In 1609 it was by Bendix Rantzau pawned to Axel Galt. In 1661 it was under Stårupgård, and it followed with S. until 1763, when Jacob Lerche sold it. Various owners.

Halskovgård is mentioned in 1437, it had belonged to a fru Ane and her children Niels Ovesen and Maye Ovesdatter. In 1680 it was under Stårupgård; in 1699 it was occupied by Frederik Christian Høeg (Banner) (+ 1744).

Majgård was owned by Jep Lagesen (Saltensee of Linde) and of Stårupgård (+ 1410), and came in the exchange after him to his children. In 1475-96 it was owned by a relative Las Bratze (Saltensee). In 1629 and 1631 it belonged to fru Helvig Kaas (Sparre-K.) of Stårupggård, but in 1634 it was conveyed to Hans Lindenov of Ørslevkloster and Strandet and followed these farms/manors later.

Bruddalgård was sold by Las Bratze (Saltensee) in 1492 to hr. Erik Ottesen Rosenkrantz; in 1524 it belonged to his daughter's daughter Ingeborg Podebusk (+ 1542).

Søndergård in Højslev was conveyed by fru Elne to Jep Lagesen (Saltensee) of Stårupgård, which her son Peder Trugelsen of Dommerby confirmed in 1364.

Svenstrup etc. and estate in Højslev parish was in 1407 by Rigild Puge and his wife Sophie Nielsdatter Rosenkrantz conveyed to the bishop in Viborg.

A farm Skallegård or Skvallegård in Østerris was in 1432 sold by Jens Frøst to Skt. Hans Kloster in Viborg. In the end of the 1400s is mentioned a building site Kollenade (1483 Kollenade), which was placed at Bådsgård.

Listed prehistorics: a longhill at Sejstrup, 129 m long, possibly a long dolmen with removed stones. 34 hills of which several are rather large: Store Vasehøj at Vinkel, two hills at Sejstrup and a hill in a group of four east of Højslev Kirkeby.
Demolished or destroyed: A long dolmen and 64 hills.

At Stårupgård is a kitchen midden. In a moor at Højslev Kirkeby were found ab. 1500 amber pearls, in another moor in the parish two necklaces from late Bronze Age.

Source:
Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962; Niels Peter Stilling, Danmarks Slotte og Herregårde, 1998.


photo Højslev kirke & Stårupgård 2003: grethe bachmann

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