Mariager Abbey /Mariager Klosterkirke , Mariagerfjord Kommune

Mariager klosterkirke, Mariagerfjord Kommune, Region Nordjylland

 










Mariager Abbey  (Danish: Mariager Klosterkirke) was a Bridgettine abbey founded in 1430 which became an important pilgrimage site, in the present town of Mariager in northern central Jutland. The abbey was established in the rule of king Erik of Pommern in the period 1425-1432. The real founding year is regarded as 1446, where Pope Eugenius 4. confirmed a transfer of the two earlier Bridgettine abbeys in Glenstrup and Randers to the Bridgettines in Maribo. .

In the abbeys of the Bridgettines lived both monks and nuns, but in separated buildings on each side of the church. The nunnery consisted probably of 3 wings which formed a closed yard, where the church was the south wing. The monastery were several buildings south of the church and the north wing as an addition. Preserved till present is the church and the north wing of the monastery, while the other buildings were demolished once in the 1700s and the beginning of the 1800s.


Mariager abbey, (Mariager Klosterkirke) lies in the town Mariager by the beautiful Mariager fjord
Like in Maribo at Lolland a small town grew up around the abbey, but Mariager is still one of the smallest market towns in Denmark.

The abbey in Mariager was built as a three-naved church with a characteristic stepped east gable and a later added slende tower to the west. The reformation meant the final days of the abbey, although it was first abolished as late as 1588. The large church became the parish church of Mariager town - and during the next 200 years there were financial problems about maintaining the large building. The town management gave up in 1788, and the church was rebuilt in 1788-1789. The drastic rebuild was a demolition of the four eastern sections, including the choir, while the rest was rebuilt from a three-naved church into a cross-armed church, supported by outside pillars. At the cross arm was in the 1930s rebuilt a longhouse choir

Inventory
Frescoe on the north wall of the choir is a fragment of a freso from the first building period,. a magnificent descriptions of persons, artistically some of the best frescoes from the 1400s. Upon a pillar in northern cross arm is a strange image, meant to show a coat of arms of Thor Degn from the 1200s, but it was obviously painted much later.

In the tower room are two famous procession- figures, the wooden sculopturres are realistic but also typical for the period ab 1500s. The figures are concentrated about Christ and his suffering and death.

The Renaissance pulpit is a simple work ab 1720s, the decoration is from 1724. The altarpiece is a fine Baroque woodcarving  from 1690. In the big field is the big supper which is the main motif with the crucified Christ above, surrounded by the nearest , Maria, Johannes and the apostles in woodcarved free-standing figures.

Upon the south wall of the nave hangs a large late Gothic crucifix . The baptismal font is in wood from the middle of the 1700s and given to the church by its benefactor etatsråd Matthias de Thestrup (+ 1769), whose burial chapel was abolished in 1931. From earlier burial chapels were Holger Eriksen Rosenkrantz from 1495, which was abolished in the 1560s when Jørgen Rosenkrantz of Rosenholm collected the bodies of his late forefathers in Hornslet kirke. Also the family Løvenbalk from the manors Tjele and Aunsbjerg had built and owned a burial chapel by the church.

by the kloster lake

The most famous headstone in Mariager belongs to the last Catholic Børglum bishop, the excessive Stygge Krumpen, who died in Asmild kloster in 1551,  a magnificent portrait stone celebrateds his memory,but he is not buried under the stone, his mummified body was shown to the public until 1871- 1873 in an open coffin, but common good manners demanded that the body was moved to the burial chapel of the noble family Krumpen. The bodies from this chapel were in 1931 buried in the church yard.





On the big church yard are kept pieces of pillars and some debris of graves from the abbey period. The church yard was extended in 1894 and is marked by the civil grave memorials of the market town Mariager. 

by the klosterlake.

Source: Danmarks kirker, Niels Peter Stilling, 2000; Nordens kirker ; National Museum; 

 photo: grethe bachmann

Dalbyneder church/Dalbyneder kirke, Randers amt

Dalbyneder church, ab. 12 km east of Mariager.

Dalbyneder, Gjerlev herred, Randers amt. 
The church in Dalbyneder has a Romanesque choir and nave with a late Gothic west tower and a neo Romanesque porch to the south. The Romanesque building is built in granite ashlars and has a bevel-plinth. Both doors are kept, the low south door is bricked  up, while the north door, which is in use, has a tympanum with a strange plaited cross with two lions. In the east wall of the choir, in its north wall and in the north wall of the nave are bricked up round-arched windows. The choir arch is sligthtly curved, this change was probably made at the same time as the choir had one and the nave two eight-ribbed vaults. The tower is built in granite ashlars and monk bricks. The bottom room with two equivalent cross vaults opens to the nave in a pointed arch. Its gables (north-south) have three highglares. The high porch, with bricked wall benches inside, has a step gable with five highglares flanked by circular glares.

In the cross vault were late Gothic frescoes from ab. 1500s brought to light in 1914. 

The altar piece contains parts of an early Renaissance altar piece with a fine carved grotesque decoration. Candelabres from the 1700s in sheet brass. A strange Romanesque granite font, its very small basin stands upon a foot looking like an upside down font with sepals, like the font in Vindblæs church.  A smooth brass dish with engraved initials EID. A pulpit in early Renaissance with coat of arms of Jørgen Lykke (+ 1583) and Beate Brahe. Upon the pews coat of arms of Otte Krumpen of Trudsholm (+ 1569), his second wife Anne Lykke and her first husband Anders Bille. Series pastorum from 1724 and 1764 for the priests in Udbyneder, Dalbyneder, Gjerlev and Vindblæs. In the church two small priest-paintings from 1700s. In the porch a holy water container in granite.

Epitaph in storbarok (great Baroque) for manager at Demstrup Otto Galthen (+ 1733); Ellen G. (+ 1735) and Peder G. (+ 1731). Under the choir burials for a parish priest Johs Jensen (+ 1655) and wife. Their pretty gravestone is inserted in the choir wall.

The væbner Jes Pele the Elder in Binderup is mentioned 1416. It is possible that the noble family Benderup origins from this village.

There are no listed prehistorics in the parish, but there were 6, now demolished hills, among them the high-placed Møgelhøj south southwest of Dalbyneder.     

At Dalbyneder were several claypot graves from early Roman Iron Age.


Source: Trap Danmark, Randers amt, 1963

foto Dalbyneder 2004: grethe bachmann

Gerning church / Gerning kirke, Houlbjerg herred, Viborg amt.

Gerning Church in the mist! ab. 20 km southeast of Viborg
Gerning sogn, Houlbjerg herred, Viborg amt.

The church has a Romanesque apse, choir and nave, a late Gothic tower to the west and a porch to the south from 1869. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars, the south door is extended and the north door has disappeared. A round-arched window in apse is re-opened, while all other original windows are gone. In the walls of the choir to the south and north is inside seen bricked-up point-arched windows from the 1300s. In the apse is a half cupola vault, rebuilt in the latest restoration, while choir and nave have cross vaults from late Gothic period, the choir one, the nave four vaults. The tower is built in monk bricks and a few ashlars, strongly rebuilt in 1944, when a half circular stair tower was addded on its west side.

In a restoration in 1900 frescoes were found upon the vaults. A simple altar piece from 1869 with Thorvaldsen's Kristus in plaster. Altar chalice given by provst Jakob Thuresen Svære. Late Gothic candelabres. A small granite font with lion figures and male heads, much re-cut. A south German baptismal bowl with initials I R D 1618. A pulpit in late Renaissance ab. 1630, with Corinthic corner pillars with new Evangelist-paintings. A church bell from 1503 by Gerhardus de Wou.


relief and chessboard pattern


old gravestones placed in the walls.


Gerning, the churchyard
Names in the Middle Ages:
Gerning (1327 Gærnyngh, 1355 Gerninge); Danstrup (*1398 Danstrup); Tind (*1410 Tinde); Borridsø (1366 Burys); Stærkær (*1399 Starkier); Hesselbjerggårde (*1407 Heszelbierggaard).

Hesselbjerggård was in 1407 owned by hr. Claus Krumpen, whose widow Sophie Olufsdatter in 1425 sold H. and Mikkelstrup to hr. Thomes Jensen.

Stærkær was in 1399 by Hagen Tygesen pawned to hr. Elef Elefsen (Bild), who in 1404 sold the pawn to Elof Jensen, who in 1419 conveyed it to the bishop in Århus, who at the same time received a deed on it by Niels Pallesen and by Peder Lykke, who shortly before had bought estate-rights in S. by Henrik Langelov. In 1458 and 1460 it was by the bishop endowed to Lange Ove Ovesen Kaas (Mur-K.) After the reformation S. came to the Crown. In the 1600s it came to the grevskab Frijsenborg. Later to Frisholt.

In a meadow area is Stærkær voldsted (castle banks); it consists of a circular middle bank, surrounded in east, west and north by a now dried moat. To the south the moat is flattened out. The plan is in full ab. 60 x 90 m.

Listed prehistorics: 18 hills, of which several are rather large: east of Gerning is Ringsøhøj, the only preserved in a group of four. Southeast of Danstrup are 4 large hills, the last of a group of ten. Just north of Tislund skov is the large, high-placed Volshøj.
Demolished or destroyed: 83 hills, mainly at Kraghede north of Hesselbjerg teglværk(tileworks) were large hill-groups; in one of the hills in the last group was a stone cist with two flint daggers and an arrow head. In a hill at Danstrup Bundgård was a rich grave from early Bronze Age with sword, pålstav (war axe), gold-fingerring etc.

Along Gudenå are noted several settlements from the Gudenå-culture. In a low area among hills were 3 heavy thin-necked axes and a large flint-block. At Mågård was found a rich grave from Germanic Iron Age with gold- and silver rings, glass- and amber-pearls and clay-pots.

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962


photo Gerning december 2006: grethe bachmann