Thursday, July 30, 2009

Års church /Års kirke, Års herred, Aalborg amt.


Års Church, ab. 30 km north of Viborg
Års sogn, Års herred, Aalborg amt


Aars church was originally a simple Romanesque granite ashlar building with a choir and a nave with beamed ceilings. In the Middle Ages was added a tower in monk bricks and boulder and with re-used granite ashlars from the old west gable, a point arched archade was built from the nave to the tower which was covered with a cross vault. The tower has a new stairway -house to the north. At the nave's south door was earlier a porch, probably late Gothic, but this was demolished, when the church went through a radical extension in 1921-22. It is now a cross-shaped plan, where the old church forms the cross arms, while a new large church is built through it, mainly in monk bricks, with a flatlofted nave to the south and a choir with a half circular apse to the north - everything in neo-Romanesque design.

Of original details from the old Romanesque church are the north and east windows of the choir, besides a Romanesque window re-created in 1921 in the south wall of the nave , and in the new nave's western wall was placed a profiled Romanesque window cover-stone and the south door's original thympanum, which is decorated with a small circular cross.The archade between the old choir and the nave which was point-arched in the late Middle Ages, was again changed into a round-arch.


baptismal font and pulpit

A neo-Romanesque altarpiece built in monk bricks with a fresco altar picture. As a communion table is used a gravestone from 1651. In the new choir is a large crucifix from 1450-75 upon a new wooden- cross. Along the walls are pew-doors from the beginning of the 1600s. A font in light coloured granite is carved by the self-taught Kristian Andersen from Aars. It is an inspired re-creation of a Romanesque granite sculpture. The earlier baptismalfont, a wooden work in Louis XVI-style is kept at the loft in Flejsborg church. A walled neo-Romanesque pulpit. A section of pew-gables from 1666 are in the old nave. A church ship "København" from 1949. Church bells 1) from 1917, re-cast of a Berendt Bodeman-bell from 1620 2) from 1955. Various early inventory from the church is kept at Vesthimmerlands Museum.

NB: Renovation in 2004 with several changes. New bright colours. Artist Erik Heide .
See: Aars Kirke




At the churchyard a large runestone with inscription : "Asser satte denne sten efter sin herre Valtoke. Stenen forkynder at den længe vil stå her, den skal nævne Valtokes varde". ("Asser put up this stone after his master Valtoke. The stone tells that it will stand here for a long time, it will mention Valtoke's worth.")


Års, Town Square, sculptor and artist Per Kirkeby

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s.:

Pisselhøj (*1466 Pisselhøj, 1492 Piiselhøw); Tandrup (*1466 Tamdrup, 1474 Tambdrop); Tolstrup (1485 Tolstrup); Gundestrup (*1467 Gundestrup, 1474 Gwnderstrop); Sjøstrup(*1466 Siøstrup); Svenstrup (1611 Suenndstrup); Slemstrup (*1453 Slimstrup, 1492 Slimstorp, Slemstrup); Stenildvad(*1231 Stenwædlæ wat); Vester Oustrup (*1231 Ofhogstorp, *1495 Vester Owstorp); Øster Oustrup (*1408 Øster Oustrup); Pugholm (1532 Pugi(e)l, 1664 Pugholm); Rævhale (1501 Reffshale); Dybvad Vandmølle (*1498 Dybuat, 1511 Aarss Dybwad); Dalgård (1688 Dalgaard); Dalsgård (*1509 Dalsgaard).

Slemstrup was in 1492 burnt down together with Pisselhøj and Runslykke, while a war was on, probably during the rebellion in 1441. Both then and in 1492 Slemstrup belonged to Aagaard (Vester Han herred); in 1545 it was inherited by Mouritz Olufsen Krognos; in 1652 it was sold by Henrik Bille to Elsebe Sandberg, who in 1654 exchanged it to Peder Harbou. In 1667 Slemstrup belonged to the alchymist Valdemar Daa. In 1682 it was declared a farm, and it belonged to the Crown in 1683. In 1717 the king sold it to Hans Wassard of Testrupgård.

When digging out for the railway Hobro-Løgstør in 1891 were in Tolstrup found a clay-pot with silver things, mostly brudesølv (bride's silver) and 174 coins, mostly German, the earliest from the 990s.


Apple blossoms and jersey cows in Borremose


Borremose

Listed prehistorics: 18 hills, two very large at Tolstrup. In Rævemosen at Gundestrup were in 1891 found the famous large silver bowl, Gundestrupkarret . On the plates of the bowl are relief figures with Celtic, Roman and oriental origin. Thought to date to the 1. century b.c. The original Gundestrupkar is at the National Museum in Copenhagen, but replicas are at Vesthimmerlands Museum in Aars and at Moesgård Museum in Århus.

Demolished or destroyed: One long dolmen, 3 round dolmens, a passage grave Bredhøj, 6 hills with stone cists, one contained 5 flint daggers and several clay-pots; a longhill and 136 hills, Mejlbyhøj contained 2 magnificent flint daggers, a bronze saw etc.. At Stenildvad was a group of 20 hills, which were abandoned in 1912. At Stenildvad was found one of the rare brandgrave (cremations) from Stone Age, containing two clay-pots and two arrow heads.

The parish is also rich in Iron Age findings. From early Iron Age are settlements examined north west of Aars at Tolstrup and Rasdal; prehistoric fields are known from Tandrup and graves from early Iron Age at Pisselhøj and north of Aars. In Borremose was found a bog body with a shoulder cape of skin. 3 German treasure findings are known from the parish: From Aars mark one finding with 15 brakteater and 6 pieces of betalingsguld (goldpieces used as a payment) and another finding with 3 brakteater, 2 gold coins and 3 pieces of betalingsguld, and from Stenildvad 8 brakteater and other gold things. At Tolstrup was besides the above mentioned coin treasure found a large circular buckle, 3 cross shaped necklace jewelry and several other silver things.

Borremosefæstningen/Borremosefortification: was a stronghold for the Cimbrians, established in Bronze Age, and used until about 125 b.c. During the Iron Age used as a settlement. The fortificated village Borremose , 4 km southeast of Aars was hidden in the moor for 2000 years. The archaeological excavations revealed a village surrounded by moats and an inner bank. A stone road lead to the village where the ground plan of the many longhouses from the Cimbrians period are seen. In the moor were found bog bodies, shoes, well-kept parts of clothes, weapons etc. Several of these findings are exhibited at Vesthimmerlands Museum.

Source: Trap Danmark, Aalborg amt, 1961; Vesthimmerlands Museum; Moesgård Museum


photo: Års kirke/Borremose 2003 , 2007: grethe bachmann

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