Vivild church / Vivild kirke, Sønderhald herred, Randers amt

Vivild church, Djursland,ab. 24 km east of Randers

The large church in Vivild has a choir and a nave, a tower to the west and a porch to the north. The choir and nave are Romanesque, built in pretty carved granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. Both doors and three windows to the north and one to the east are kept. The south door and windows are bricked up. In the Gothic period were in the choir built two and in the nave three bays of cross vaults, and the choir arch was changed into a pointed arch. The tower is also from the Gothic period like the porch. The tower has a pyramid roof. It is built in granite ashlars and monk bricks, the vaulted tower room has a pointed arch towards the nave. The large porch in monk bricks is built in two stages. The original building from the late Middle Ages is enheightended with an upper storey and has got a glare gable. The church is roofed with lead; it now stands with blank ashlars and whitewashed brickwalls. In 1952-53 was a restoration, and some frescoes were found, partly late Gothic ( on the vaults) the latest frescoes with biblical motifs were wellkept, but in spite of this they were whitewashed again.

Vivild church. Did you ever see a cross-eyed church?

The walled communion table in granite ashlars has a reliquary, which was examined by the bishop of the district in 1953. The altarpiece in Rococo from ab. 1700 with name and coat of arms of colonel Hans Friis. The original painting was replaced in the middle field in 1953. The altar candelabres were given in 1588 by Niels Skram and fru Kirsten Rosenkrantz. A Romanesque granite font with lion figures and leaf decorations. A baptismal bowl from 1500s. A Baroque pulpit with a sounding board from 1662, given by Clemen Jensen in Nielstrupgård and parish clerk Rasmus Sørensen ( acc. to epitaph).  The upper pews in each side have the coat of arms of Niels Skram and Kirsten Rosenkrantz. The rest of the pews are new. A late Gothic choir arch crucifix  in the nave. In the tower arch a church ship from ab. 1720. Three large ore chandeliers from 1924. The bell was re-cast in 1850 by Meilstrup in Randers. In the nave a large carved epitaph with portrait-paintings placed in 1664 for Clemen Jensen in Nielstrupgård  (+ 1677) and wife Bodil Andersdatter (+ 1672) and parish clerk Rasmus Sørensen (+ 1679) and wife Else Jensdatter (+ 1669). Furthermore a painted and gilt memorial tablet in sandstone with portrait relief of  colonel Chr. Friis of Hevringholm (+ 1727). Above the stone was earlier placed 4 mourning-banners with coat of arms of the families Friis, Vittrup, Urne and Lindenov and the year 1727; according to his own wish he was buried in a hill on the church yard, where a large stone is placed on the grave. In the northern wala of the choir a painted and gilt gravestone with portrait reliefs of the brothers Jørgen Rosenkrantz (+ 1551), Erik R. (+ 1561) and Peder R. ( + 1570), all of Hevringholm. Their bodies were acc. to Pont. Atlas buried in a burial cellar under the choir, where was found a burial chamber in 1952 with the rests of three coffins. A Baroque gravestone with name Otte Lauridsen by the southern wall of the church. In the tower arch is walled-in a Romanesque gravestone with a cross.

Chessboard outside on church wall. 

Hevringholm is the entailed estate of the family Rosenkrantz. Rigsråd Niels Iversen is written to H.  1377-1407, and hr. Niels Jensen is in 1411 written to the farm, which later went to his three sons, hofmester hr. Otte Nielsen of Bjørnholm (+ 1477), hr. Timme Nielsen of Engelsholm (+ ab. 1455) and hr. Anders Nielsen, called Stygge (he still lived 1478). The last mentioned bought in 1466 Otte Nielsen's part of the farm, his son Ejler Stygge (Rosenkrantz) inherited H. and died ab. 1535,  and his children Stygge, Christoffer, Erik, Peder, Jørgen and Berete inherited.  Jørgen Rosenkrantz died in 1551, and the other children bought a broderlod ( each a part) of the farm the same year from their cousin Sidsel Timmesdatter (Rosenkrantz), widow after rigsråd Erik Krummedige. In an exchange among the siblings in 1552 H. went to Erik Rosenkrantz, who died in 1561 without leaving heirs. H. then came to his brother Peder Rosenkrantz (+ 1570) , then to the brother Stygge Rosenkrantz (+ 1571), whose daughter Kirsten (+ 1597) in 1582 brought H. to her husband Niels Skram of Urup (+ 1601). Their daughter Elsebe Skram, m. to Esge Bille of Svanholm, sold in 1608 H. to Esge Brok of Estrup (+ 1625). H. came to his youngest daughter Elisabeth Brok, m. to Frands Lykke of Overgård  ( +1655), who in 1643 got birkeret (judicial rights) of the farm.

Vivild church. Time for the tortoiseshell to find a warm spot.

Their son was the famous Kaj Lykke, who had his estate taken from him by law in 1661; the king out-parcelled H.'s estate, but the owners of the farm should have the right to release it. In 1664 the king exchanged H. to Oluf Daa, who in 1666 laid H. out to his three sons as their maternal inheritance instead of Eskebjerg (Scheelenborg) at Funen which he had sold. A year after they sold H. to colonel Hans Friis (of Haraldskær); their father opposed to the sale, but the supreme court gave the three sons accept. Hans Friis established an entailed estate, which he in 1695 transferred together with Essenbæk ladegård to his brother's son colonel Christian Friis, who after his brother Gregers Friis' death in 1711 inherited Tustrup, and in order to obey his uncle's will he laid in 1726 Tustrup and Essenbæk ladegård under the entailed estate. After his death in 1727 H. went to his father's brother's daughter's son generalløjtnant Christian Rantzau- Friis, who died childless. His death in 1731 started a long feud between the families Below and Beck. H came to oberstløjtnant Joakim Beck, who after this called himself Beck-Friis (+ 1762). His son grev Joakim Beck-Friis was in 1782 allowed to sell the entailed estate and sold it in 1783 by auction to Laurids Sørensen of Hevring mill.

Later owners: Peter Severin Fønss of Løvenholm, Aalborg hospitalsdirektion; Mogens Chr. Kjeldsen, Christian M. Kjeldsen,  W.C. Olesen;  P. Knudsen; L. C. Rasmussen; P. Arkner .In 1946 sold to J. Balling.

Julianeholm is a parcel of Hevringholm, established by Peter Severin Fønns of Løvenholm. 

The væbner Jes (or Niels) Christiernsen of Nielstrup is mentioned 1485-1511. In 1543 N. belonged to fru Karen, later to Christoffer Lunov of Rygård (ab. 1580-1607), then Esge Bille of Hevringholm, with which it by Kaj Lykke's fall came to mayor Caspar Eggers in Køge in 1686, who sold it and N. Mill to grev Christian Rantzau of Gjesingholm (now Løvenholm), who in 1663 laid it to Gjesingholm birk ( judicial district). In 1716 it was resided by birkedommer Th. Hørup.


In the parish was the village Vådkær (1420 Wodekier) with 6 farms. It was abandoned before 1660, and its land came under Hevringholm. The abandoned main farm Nielstrupgård (1394 Niilstrupgaardt) was possibly a rest of a village Nielstrup. In 1688 is in the parish mentioned a farm called I Hulen (In the Cave).

Names from the Middle Ages:

Vivild (1420 Viuild, 1450 Wewildh); Lystrup (1426 Liwerstorp, 1450 Lywelstrvp); Nielstrup (1420 Nielstorp); Hevringholm (1397 Hefringeholm).
 
Listed prehistorics: North of Lystrup a large but somewhat out-digged Tushøj ; east of Vivild at the country road the rather large Tvillinghøje and a longhill, all in a public park.
Destroyed or demolished: a round dolmen, a passage grave and 38 hills.

Early Roman burial sites are examined by Vivild and Lille Sorvad.

Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963.

photo 24 September 2011: grethe bachmann