Janderup church / Janderup kirke, Vester Horne herred, Ribe amt.

   
Janderup Church, ab. 10 km west of Varde
Janderup sogn, Vester Horne herred, Ribe amt.

The whitewashed church in Janderup has a desolate place at Varde Å. (river). It is a large village church with a choir and with an added sacristy, nave and tower to the west.  The church had earlier two porches; both are removed, and the tower room now functions as a hall with a new entrance in the north wall. The earliest Romanesque sections, the choir and nave, are mostly granite, above this tufa, upon a profiled double plinth.  Several Romanesque windows are kept, all walled-in. Both doors of the nave are walled-in with smooth frames. In the north door is an old door wing with a Gothic marked furniture. The additions are from the late Middle Ages and built in monk bricks: a cross-vaulted sacristy to the north and a large tower to the west. The inside is over-vaulted with one bay in the choir and three bays octagonal rib-vaults in the nave, and the Romanesque choir-arch  is kept with finely profiled kragsten.  A frescoe decoration from the beginning of the 1500s was brought to light in 1936.

Upon the bricked communion table with a Renaissance front panel from the end of the 1500s stands a large altar piece, given in 1645 by slotsskriver at Riberhus and owner of  St. Hebo, Peder Byrgesen and wife, whose carved names are on the side wings. At the entrance to the sacristy is an old door wing with 1700s'
paintings. In the sacristy is an old well-kept confessional from ab. 1730 with kneeler and baluster-rail. Rests of medieval wooden sculptures from the disappeared side altars are now in the door-niches of the nave: a Madonna from 1532 and a contemporary bishop-figure. Romanesque granite font, above this a carved sounding board (earlier shown year 1652). Above the choir arch a crucifix from the 1300s. The parish clerk stool has a carved year 1603. The pulpit is a rich Renaissance-work from ab. 1600 with Corinthic baluster-pillars and 1700s' paintings and a contemporary sounding board.  The pews have gables in early Renaissance, upon the upper gables an inscription that these  "skamler" (stools) were bought in 1575 by Simon Christensen of St. Hebo. A Rococo-organ is given in 1774 by Mads Rygaard of St. Hebo, placed upon a gallery with painted apostle-figures in the fields.  A chandelier in the choir was given by the above mentioned  Simon Christensen; besides two  newer chandeliers given in 1911. Church ship: war ship "De Ammeral", given by parish priest Niels Sehested 1776. In the tower room several head-stones from 1600s and 1700s. Upon the church yard a grave with  Jens Jensen of Janderup, (+ 1647), 126 years of age! North of the church yard an old red brick-building, named  "Kirkehuset". (The Church House)  


Store Hebo was a freeholders-farm, it belonged to Anders Nielsen (+ 1602), his widow Marine (+ 1629) and son Niels Andersen in Varde, whose widow Anne Nielsdatter died 1659. Their son Niels Nielsen of St.H. (+ 1667) was married to Lisbeth Pedersdatter Hebo (+ 1703), who in 1686 conveyed her inheritance-rights  of the farm to her son-in-law Hans Nielsen Kjær (+ 1709), who was priest in Ål. (parish) In 1718 the farm belonged to Simon Christensen (+ 1732), whose widow Mette Marie Joensdatter 1733 married Poul Borreby (later priest in  Gudum, + 1748). In the exchange after him in 1749 the farm was taken over by his widow Gertrud Marie Madsdatter, who the same year was married to I.J. Jelstrup (later of Kokkedal). In 1778 it belonged to  Mads Rygaard (+ 1791), whose widow in 1792 married  fuldmægtig at Hesselmed, Byrge Qvist, after whose death in 1825 it came to his son-in-law J.Chr. Westesen  (+ 1841). Later owners: Thøger R. Teilmann, H.F.Ulriksen.

The brick-built white-washed main building from 1798 is a fine and well-kept witness of the building traditions of West Jutland. 

Janderup was in the old times a place of disembarkation for the town of Varde, since the river was not navigable that far up. Varde town had in 1640 from the Crown first refusal on a farm at the church (later the inn). In 1680 was a custom house for a short time at Janderup. Although the shipping place was officially abandoned in 1692, it was used up till the late 1800s. At the inn ("Skipperhuset") was a ferry across Varde Å-river until 1910. In the 1600s. had (acc. to. Pont. Atlas) the merchant ships from Varde their winter place at Janderup church.

In Hyllerslev Enge at Varde Å-river lies a castle bank Elkærhøj, an oblong bank, surrounded by a moat and a outer dam, which to the south and southeast broadens into large flat areas, probably a front-castle. Outside seems to have been another moat. In the late 1800s. were at the castle bank found rests of a timbered building.

In the parish was the farm Vig (1486 Wiigh, 1487 Wyghe, 1606 Wieg.) Chrf. Hvas of Hennegård founded in 1639 the main farm Søviggård in Ovtrup parish by this and Søgård in Ovtrup parish.

Listed prehistorics: 24 hills. Large, but damaged by dikes and ditches is a hill north of Nr. Hebo.
Destroyed or demolished: 79 hills; large groups were at Janderup hede, Kærup hede and north of St. Hebo. Already Pont. Atlas mentioned that at an excavation of the hills in the parish were found stone axes, stone knives and bronze-rings.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s.:
Janderup (1295 Jamthorp); Hyllerslev (1391 Hyllesløøf); Kærup (1471 Keerorpp, Keerurp); Strudvad (1606 Struduad); Bandsbjerg (1404 Bansberig), Sdr. Hebo (1638 Sønder Hebo), Nr. Hebo (1638 Nør Hebo); Grydvad Ml. (1606 Gryduad Mølle);  St. Hebo (1503 Hiebo, 1664 Stoer Hieeboe).

Source: Trap Danmark, Ribe amt 1965.
photo Janderup kirke 2003: grethe bachmann