Gylling church / Gylling kirke , Hads herred, Aarhus amt.

The large church in Gylling has a Romanesque choir and nave, a late Gothic porch to the south and a stilted tower from the reformation period to the west. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth, and it has kept both straight edged doors; the south door is in use, while the north door is bricked-up, and a round arched window in the choir gable. The choir arch was extended, probably in the late 1400s, when a crossvault was built in the choir. The nave has a beamed ceiling. In the last half of the 1400s a stately porch was built in two storeys, and the rich and well-proportioned gable points to Jens Iversen Lange's building activity in Århus. The narrow tower has to the west a large open round arch. The tower is probably from the reformation period, or maybe a little later. Two heavy supporting pillars at the choir gable are from recent times. 

the stilted tower

In the choir vault is Jens Iversen Lange's frescoe-painted coat of arms, and a later coat of arms above the choir arch has been referred to Jørgen Barnekow, a vasal at Åkær in 1553-59. The stately altarpiece from 1638 is made by Peder Jensen Kolding. The altar candelabres are from 1655, they are balustershaped, resting upon lion figures, paid and given by Mette Hansdatter. Chasuble from 1726. Behind the altarpiece a relief of the evangelist Johannes with painted year 1645. Altar rails from 1735. A Romanesque granite font in Horsenstype with lions and leaves. A South German baptismal bowl from ab. 1550 with initials and coat of arms of Clauss Gagge and Margrethe Mormann, 1637. A late Gothic choir-arch crucifix, repaired in 1923. A pulpit from 1911, carved by sculptor Rasmus Andersen. A gallery in the west end from 1627. Interesting early Gothic bell from ab. 1300 with majuskel-inscription in Latin: "Fru Cecilia lod mig støbe"( Laurids Trugotsen's daughter, m. to Markvard Rostrup).
In the wall of the porch two Romanesque gravestones, one with the name Helene. Inside the porch two gravestones from the 1600s, one with year of death 1642 above a couple with 13 children ( signed with a hammer and blacksmith's tong and the initials HSGS), and the other a little older, above a couple with ten children. In the choir a gravestone for parish priest Dines Guldberg (+ 1758), Ove Høeg-Guldberg's mother's brother.

Romanesque gravestone in wall of porch.

 In the porch a runestone, which was found in 1839 at a barn in Gylling. The inscription: "Toke Troels' søn rejste denne sten efter - - god - -  og risbiik sin broder". ("Toke Troels' son raised this stone after - - god - - and risbiik his brother.")

The king owned some land in Gylling according to Valdemar's Jordebog. Gylling was among the estate, which Erik Plovpennings daughter's son Erik Valdemarsen got in 1327. At the same time lived hr. Lars Truedsen (Trugotsen) of Gylling. His daughter Cecilie. m. to Markvard Rostrup, let cast the church bell. Their son Godskalk Rostrup owned in 1402 estate in Gylling, in 1404 hr. Jep Kalf conveyed to the Crown his estate in Gylling, which his father hr. Erland Kalf had already sold to the Crown.

Gyllingnæs was among the estate, which hr. Niels Brok in 1330 conveyed to Ring kloster. It was before 1436 by hr. Jep Kalf's widow etc. given to Maribo kloster. In 1578 G. belonged to the Crown, and in 1661 Gylling skov (forest) was laid out to the heirs of Joachim Gersdorff together with Åkær, and it followed this estate until John Smith from Altona bought it in 1801.
Later owners: John Thornton, George Smith, Wilhelm Henrik Fr. Mylord from Holsten, Constantin Brun, A.P.V. Krohn, Chr. Fr. Berg, Frederik Grevenkop-Castenskiold. Owner in 1963: fru E.E. Baner. 

Owners after 1963:
1966-1994: Hermann Zobel, 1994-1996: Peter Zobel, !996 - : Troels Holch Povlsen.

 











Gylling vicarage , built 1720 and 1859, is listed in class B.

Listed prehistorics: a disturbed long dolmen in Gyyllingnæs skov.
Demolished or destroyed: a passage grave, a dolmen, 3 stone cists and 10 hills.

At Horskær is an undersea  Ertebølle-settlement, at Gylling two Iron Age-settlements.

Names in the Middle Ages: Gylling (1231 Gylling); Lerdrup (1402 Leirdrup, 1534 Lerdrup); Gyllingnæs (1330 Gyllenesz, 1438 Gyllingsnes).

Source: Trap Danmark,Århus amt, 1963.

photo Gylling 2003: grethe bachmann

Saksild church / Saksild kirke Hads herrred, Aarhus amt.

Saksild Church, ab. 15 km south of Århus
Saksild sogn, Hads herred, Århus amt.

Saksild-Rude Strand is a very popular bathing place with many holiday cottages. The eastern border of the parish is the sea, Århus Bugt. On the inside lies the diked and dried Kysing fjord, and to the north Norsminde fjord with a small harbour and the wellknown Norsminde Kro.

The church in Saksild has a Romanesque choir and nave with a late Gothic extension, a tower to the west from the reformation period, a porch from the same period and a sacristy at the eastern side of the choir from ab. 1730. The Romanesque building was built relatively late in raw, cleaved granite boulder . The inside of the church has beamed ceilings. In the late Gothic period was added a western extension in monk bricks without any characteristic details. The slender tower had a high point arched opening in the west side, which is now closed by a wall with a rabbet door. The porch in raw granite boulder and monk bricks is probably from the reformation period or shortly after, but very rebuilt in 1751. The sacristy with a priest-entrance was built ab. 1730, probably by parish priest Poul Poulsen (+ 1736), but in the end of the 1800s it was face walled together with the choir gable. The tower spire is probably from the same time as the sacristy.


The panel of the communion table has painted ornaments from the end of the 1500s and the altarpiece is a rich carved work in bruskbarok (DK: 1630-1660) with a large relief from ab. 1660 by Peder Jensen Kolding. It was restored in 1908. A baptismal font in stone, from recent times. Crucifix from the same time as the altarpiece. The pulpit is a simple Renaissance work from ab. 1600. A chandelier from the 1500s, according to inscription upon a wooden tablet given by parish priest Poul Poulsen. A pretty church ship from 1783. In the porch a bell from 1828 by P.P. Meilstrup, given by Niels Rosenkrantz. A fine epitaph-painting from the end of the 1600s with portraits of unidentified persons. A stone tablet for parish priest Poul Poulsen and wife (both + in 1736).


Norsminde

Bishop Peder Vognsen gave in 1203 his estate in Rude to the chapter in Århus. Rudegård or Rude Hovgård belonged 1438 and 1444 to the væbner Jes Palnesen (Godov?); it was in 1492 under Boller and came in 1499 via hr. Erik Ottesen Rosenkrantz to his late son Holger's children. These heirs, Mette Urne, Albert Friis (of Haraldskær) and Johan Rud exchanged in 1581-93 H. with the Crown. It must have been this farm which the king in 1720 conveyed to the priest Jørgen Davidsen in Odder.

Etstate in Kysing was in 1203 transferred by bishop Peder Vognsen to Århus chapter, Kysing mark (field) belonged in 1299 to the canons, and the chapter exchanged in 1589 K. with the Crown.

Lars Truedsen gave in 1346  six farms in Saksild to an altar in Århus cathedral.

Half the city of Saksild burnt down in 1699 and in 1864 burnt 4 farms and 7 houses. Kysing burnt down in 1793 except two farms.

Upon Kysing mark close to Norsminde was once a church, mentioned in ab. 1300,1430 and 1524; Store Nor and Lille Nor in Malling parish also belonged to Kysing parish. Upon the church site "Meden kirke" is still preserved a couple of ruins, mostly raw granite boulder. The church was said to have been demolished during Svenskekrigen 1658-60 (war with Sweden). Saksild sogn/parish suffered much during this war, in Saksild church was since 1659 until 1859 held a service of thanksgiving.

Old pavement and monk bricks have been found at a farm in Rude,which together with the neighbouring farm had the name Rude Hovgård.


Norsminde

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Saksild (* 1346 Sauxil); Rude (* 1203 Saxwæl ruthu, * 1204 Ruthe); Kysing (* 1203 Kysing); Norsminde (1292 Norsminne).

Listed prehistorics: In Rude plantage two long stone cists probably from Bronze Age.
Demolished or destroyed: 4 dolmens and other stone graves and 10 hills.

Source: Trap Danmark, Århus amt, 1963.


photo Saksild kirke/Norsminde 2003/2007: grethe bachmann