Gjøl church / Gjøl kirke, Hvetbo herred, Hjørring amt.

Gjøl Church ab 14 km west of Ålborg
Gjøl sogn, Hvetbo herred, Hjørring amt.


Mester Goti's relief of two lions


God's lamb.

Gjøl Church was placed upon an island in Limfjorden until the 1800s, where dikes connected it to the land. The church distinguishes itself by its rich picture ashlars made by the famous stone mason Mester Goti. In a stone to the right of the entrance door Mester Goti has carved his name and the names Ekin, Bondo, Osmund, Keitel, which might be the building masters. Upon the cover stone of the entrance portal are two reliefs; the snake in the tree where Eva is reaching the apple to Adam, the other probably a selfportrait of Mester Goti, a sitting stone mason with a heavy claw hammer, an ashlar in front and with the brickwork of the church behind him. In the frame of the door are biblical reliefs. In a stone to the right of the door two lions with a cross. This image is repeated upon the cover stone of the walled-in women's door on the nortside of the church. Finally an ashlar with a relief of God's lamb.

The church was built ab. 1125-1175. The Romanesque part is an extremely long nave, built in two stages, and the choir. Both nave and choir are in granite ashlars, but all the walls are later re-walled. The church was extended to the west in the 1200s and in the late Gothic period were added a tower and a sacristy in bricks. The vaulted tower room has a pointed arch to the nave, but is parted from this by a wooden wall. The church bell hangs in a point-arched glamhul(opening) upon the western wall.The church had a thorough restoration in 1942. In the 1530s the choir vaults were decorated with frescoes, restored in 1907 by Eigil Rothe. The kragsten on ther southern section of the choir arch are carved with rich ornaments, probably made by Mester Goti.

A granite communion table with a Renaissance panel from ab. 1600. In the table was a reliquary whisch is now at the National Museum. A richly carved triptychon from ab. 1520, which work seems to be influenced or maybe made by Hans Brüggeman, whose main work is the Bordesholmalter i Slesvig Domkirke . The altar piece was restored in the 1700s and in 1936. A chalice from 1635. A strange four-leaved Romanesque granite font possibly made by Mester Goti. A pulpit with a sounding board in Renaissance from ab. 1600 with paintings of the Evangelists in the fields. Pews from 1942. A church ship from 1767. A church bell from 1830s cast by H. Gamst. Epitaphs, portrait grave stones memorial tablets from the 1600s. During the restoration in 1942 the floor was lowered to its original niveau and some magnificent grave frames in oak with inscriptions were brought to light. They are now placed in the porch and the tower room. Upon the church yard , surrounded by large trees, are many pretty original grave stones, among others a touching grave for two drowned little boys. The fate of these two boys plays a central role in Hans Kirk's master work Fiskerne.


At Limfjorden

Navne i middelalder og 1600t.:
Gjøl/Gøl ( * 1200s Giol, Gyol, 1500 Gøelss Kirke); Torp( 1459 Torpp); Bjergegårde( 1688 Ved Biergir); Hammergårde (1610 Hammergaard); Birkumgård (* 1465 Byrckomgaardtt).

Birkumgård tilhørte i senmiddelalderen (således allerede 1465) Børglum kloster og kom ved reformationen 1536 med dette klosters gods under kronen. 1543 fik toldreren på Skagen Niels pedersen livsbrev på b., dog mod afgift ti klostret.1669 skødede kongen gården blandt andet gods til oberst joachim v. Debbern, som allrede næste år overdrog den til sin ægteføælle fru gese som erstatning for hans gæld, som hun havde overtaget. .




belonged in the late Middle Ages (already in 1465) to Børglum kloster and came at the reformation in 1536 with the estate of this kloster to the Crown. In 1543 the tolder (customs officer) at Skagen Niels Pedersen got livsbrev (stay for life) at Birkumgård. In 1669 the king conveyed B. with other estate to oberst (colonel) Jochim v. Debbern. Various owners up til present.

At the island was mentioned earliest 1610 the farm Haffuen, earliest 1662 the farms Sualderbachen, Kiercheberig and Hougård, in 1669 the farm Løckegård, in 1688 the farms Wed Dammen, Aggerled, Paa Bachen and Weszelspring.

There are no prehistorics at the"island" and no one known, but there were some Stone Age settlements. Along the coast were found Ertebølle pieces in the beach line and there have been found late Stone Age's settlements ( ceramics, dolktid ) (2400-1700 bc) in several places, i.e. at Bjerget and south of Birkumgård.

Source: Trap Danmark, Hjørring amt, 1960; Niels Peter Stilling, Danmarks kirker, 2000.


photo April 2004: grethe bachmann