Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Svenstrup church / Svenstrup kirke, Onsild herred, Randers amt.


Svenstrup Church, 8 km southeast of Hobro
Svenstrup sogn, Onsild herred, Randers amt

The church in Svenstrup has a Romanesque choir and nave with a tower to the west from the second half of the 1500s and a newer porch to the south. The high Romanesque building is in granite ashlars, and both original doors a re preserved, the south door in use, the north door bricked-up with yellow bricks. The choir has a Romanesque round arch window in use, the nave two, of which one was re-opened in 1952. On the south side was in 1800s inserted large round arch windows. Upon the north side of the choir is a Romanesque picture ashlar with a male head, and in the east wall of the porch a chessboard ashlar. Inside is the high slender choir arch preserved. The nave has a beamed ceiling and in the choir was in the late 1400s built an octagonal rib-vault. The low, probably cut-down tower was built in re-used ashlars and monk bricks in the second half of the 1500s, possibly in 1568, when a king's letter was sent to all churches in Århus Stift to help Svenstrup church by paying 1/2 daler each, since it was very dilapidated. The bottom room of the tower opens to the nave in a round tower arch. The church was restored in 1952, and some frescoes from the 1400s and late Romanesque frescoes were brought to light in the choir vault.


A new walled communion table with an altar piece, a painting from 1927, the oak frame designed by Joakim Skovgaard. Renaissance candelabres from 1588 with the coat of arms and initials of Knud Mogensen Løvenbalk. Romanesque granite font with strange human figures between double lions. A copper bowl given by Knud Mogensen Løvenbalk and Ide Nielsdatter 1592. A new bowl given by teacher R.C. Andersen in 1947. A pulpit set up in 1779 by Poul Møller of Skovsgård, repaired in 1937. A priest-chair given 1694 by Chr. Jensen in Randrup, is now in Randers Museum, where is also a pew from ab. 1560. In the tower room various findings from the church, a window frame, a pewter-jug, a money tablet, some clay-pots, a rapier hilt and some coffin plates. Church ship, Fullrigger "Håbet" from 1924. Gravestones i.e.: a Romanesque granite with procession-cross; 2) 1584 Knud Mogensen Løvenbalk and Ide Nielsdatter Brun.

Kjellerup belonged in the 1300s to Jens Ubbesen and Thomas Jensen, in 1415 Jens Thomesen, in 1430 and 1462 Jep Hegedal. In 1483 pawned Christen Hegedal K. to Tyge Jensen Seefeld, who probably took over the farm as his property, since his son-in-law Christoffer Kruse of Ballegård in 1511 is written to it. His son landsdommer Peder Kruse (+ 1562) owned K. in 1541, Jørgen Barnekow (+ 1567) owned it in 1562, and in 1579 Henrik Gyldenstierne exchanged it to the Crown, which in 1580 exchanged it with mill and 13 farms and bol to Knud Mogensen Løvenbalk, after whose death (after 1598) it went to the family Skram (Fasti), later it belonged to Erik Høeg (Banner)(+ 1612), whose brother Christen Høeg (Banner) in 1627 sold it to Enevold Seefeld, who in 1633 exchanged it and Svenstrup Hovgård to Axel Urne + 1653. Later owners: Benzon, Brask, Kieler, Holstein-Rathlou ; owner in 1954: Carl Neergaard-Petersen.

Svenstrup Hovgård was owned by Tyge Kruse of Vinge(+ 1610) before 1554 with his wife Birgitte Lauridsdatter Munk (Vinranke-M.) After them to their sons Christoffer Kruse ,mentioned 1580 and 1608 , Laurids Kruse (+ 1609) and Enevold Kruse (+ 1621). Later owners: Parsberg, Seefeld, Zepelin, Levetzau, Dinesen, Brask, owner from 1861: M. Christensen.

Las Jonsen Bugge in True in 1469 was a descendant of the famous Niels Bugge, but he was considered as belonging to peasantry, since his mother was ufri (not free). Knud Bugge in True, who is mentioned in 1535, was probably his son.

Close to Kjellerup were 3 sacred wells: Sydekilden west of the farm, Plovmands kilde in a meadow west of the farm and Skt. Knuds kilde in a valley west of the country road.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Svenstrup (1355 Swentorp, * 1396 Swenstorp); True (* 1456 Thrw, 1479 Trwæ); Gunderup (* 1439 Grundorph, 1579 Gunderup); Kjellerup (* 1299 Keldorp, 1430 Kelropp); Svenstrup Hovgård (1492 Swenstrophowgard); Lykkemark (1664 Løchemarch).

Listed prehistorics: 55 hills, 3 longhills, 5 røser (small-stone graves), 2 stone circles, a Roman-period sstone grave and two house sites,( age undefinable). There are many large hills: 6 southwest of True, 2 south of True, two hills northwest of Svenstrup, Gunderuphøj at Gunderup, two in Brokhede plantation, one in a plantation under Kjellerup, one in Hem skov and Munkhøj at Charlottenpris.
Demolished or destroyed: 4 long dolmens, a dolmen at Svenstrup and 56 hills. - At the heath of Svenstrup Hovgård and south of True have been noted prehistoric fields, from Svenstrup Hovgård a grave from Celtic Iron Age.

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963


photo Svenstrup kirke 2003: grethe bachmann

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