Mesing church, Mesing kirke, Hjelmslev herred, Skanderborg amt.

The small church in Mesing has a Romanesque choir and nave and a late Gothic tower to the west and a porch to the south. The choir and nave are built in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. From original details are traceable in the wallwork the straight-edged north door of the nave, a window in the middle of each of the longwalls of the nave and the east and north window of the choir, all bricked. At the foot of the tower lie three monolith lintels from Romanesque windows. The southdoor is outside, but the Romanesque tympanum is preserved with lion figures around a tree.  In the late Middle Ages was built a cross vault with halfstone-ribs, one bay in the choir, two in the nave. At the same time the choir arch was changed into a pointed arch. The church has neo Romanesque windows. The narrow tower is open to the west in a high round arched arcade ("stilt"). It is built in monk bricks with a spread use of boulder, and it has stair gables to north and south above the point arched peepholes. The large porch in granite ashlars, boulder and monk bricks has a flat curved door in a point arched mirror, above the door is inserted a sundial with Fr. V.'s monogram and the year 1756.

Canopy-altarpiece in Renaissance from ab. 1600, in the big field a newer crucifixion-picture upon canvas, upon the top-field allegoric pictures from ab. 1800. Altar chalice from 1684, by Bartholomæus Stur in Århus, acc. to inscription given by Ober Förster Petter Zeibiegh and wife Margaretha von Gabbels, whose coat of arms and initials are on the cup. Two pair of candelabres from respectively 1600 and 1952. A small Romanesque granite font with lion reliefs. Baptismal dishes: 1) ab. 1550, south German, 2) 1688, in pewter, with initials SKE and AIDN. Pulpit 1613 with carvings in stiff high Renaissanc and the name Rasmus Jensen. Pews from ab. 1900. Organ in a gallery in the west end of the nave. Bell 1928 (de Smithske jernstøberier), recast from en older bell by Jens Asmus Smit 1591, which inscription is repeated on the new bell.

The monks at Kalvø (later at Øm kloster) gave ab. 1168 10 mark silver land in Mesing to Niels Nødd and Glip of Åbo.

In Mesing is a small hjemstavnsmuseum (local museum), mainly with old utensils from the district. It was established in 1936 in the old rytterskole(military), a halftimbered building which this year was moved upon rolls to its present place and given to shoemaker Ansgar Andersen Horn whose collection got its location here. 

In the parish was a village Ravndal (1287 Rauffndall). There were in the 1500s feuds between Ringkloster and the Mesing-farmers about the right of the land of the disappeared village. The mill dam of Ravndal is still traceable at Møllebækken 2 km south of Mesing.

Listed prehistorics: in Illerup ådal is a 35 m long dolmen with a chamber without cover stone. 10 hills in Sønderskov, one rather large.
Demolished: one hill.  

Names in the Middle Ages: Mesing (1477 Mesingh).

Source: Trap Danmark, Skanderborg amt, 1964.

photo 2009: grethe bachmann

           

Elsted church Elsted kirke, Vester Lisbjerg herred, Århus amt.

Elsted Church, 10 km north or Århus

The sun dial

Elsted Church has a choir and nave from the Romanesque period built partly in granite ashlars, partly in cleaved granite boulders. The church has white-washed walls and a tiled roof. The tower and porch are late Gothic in monk bricks. The tower is the narrow East Jutland-type, originally open in front. Later the opening was walled and in the 1700s a portal was added. In the gable of the porch is a sun dial with the year 1727.

The high-placed Romanesque windows are brought to light as niches on the north side of the nave and a Romanesque window is vaguely seen in the north and east wall of the choir. Both doors in the nave are preserved, the north door is walled, while the south door still functions with a round-arched opening and relief stones.

The church has a beamed ceiling, while the choir has a Gothic cross vault. The tall choir arch is preserved from Romanesque period with kragbånd. (oblong relief stone-band). Upon the vault of the choir was in 1944 brought to light a rib-decoration from  the late Gothich period - and upon triumfvæggen (wall between church and altar) was found a small bit of a Romanesque frescoe. A Gothic cupboard with old furniture and grating is framed below the walled window in the north side of the choir. It was possibly once a monstrans cupboard .The Romanesque granite font has lion figures - the simply decorated pulpit is from 1636. There are several large gravestones, partly in the porch and partly in the nave.


Kirkegaden, the village street leads to Elsted church

New Art in Elsted kirke:
Jens Urup, who has created much art in Danish churches, has decorated the ceiling of the nave as a wonderful violet evening sky. The beautiful new altar wall is created by Bent Exner, the great gold- and silversmith, who also has created unique church art. Bent Exner died in 2006.
 

Names in the Middle ages: Elsted (1374 Elstedt, 1439 Æstet, Ælstethæ).

Øm Kloster exchanged 1490 a farm in Elsted with the Crown.

The now disappeared Såstrupgård was the last rest of a village Såstrup (1425 Sastrop). A bol (a small farm) Fornebol (1490 Forneboer, Fæderneboel) is mentioned in the parish in 1490.


Listed prehistorics: two hills, of which the large Blindemandshøj. (Blind Man's Hill).
Destroyed: two hills.

Claypot graves from the Roman period have been found at several sites in Elsted parish.


source: Trap Danmark, Århus amt, 1963.


photo Elsted 2003: grethe bachmann