Thursday, July 30, 2009

Sønder Kongerslev church / Sønder Kongerslev kirke and Kongstedlund, Hellum herred, Aalborg amt.


Sønder Kongerslev Church, 15 km southeast of Aalborg
Sønder Kongerslev sogn, Hellum herred, Aalborg amt.

Sønder Kongerslev Church has a Romanesque choir and nave; an octagonal tower to the west and a porch to the north are both from early Renaissance period. The Romanesque building is in granite ashlars. All original details have disappeared in a rebuilding in the early Renaissance period. Three octagonal cross-vaults of late Gothic character were built in the nave, while the choir got a star vault and the choir arch was extended. An octagonal late Gothic tower was added to the west, the bottom of the tower is in granite ashlars, while the top is in monk bricks. Its bottom room with an octagonal cupola-vault opens to the nave in a round arch. The porch is built in monk bricks, but without details. The Renaissance re-build was probably influenced by the great building work in Astrup Church and probably from ab. 1550.

The altar piece is a fine Renaissance work from 1597, given by Niels Juul and Anne Stygge and renovated 1743 by Niels Jensen Thyboe. A Romanesque granite font. A south German baptismal bowl from ab. 1575. The pulpit from 1597 given by Niels Juul and Anne Stygge. Chandelier 1724. Church bell from 1400s with a similar inscription like a lesser bell in Vestervig Church.


Kongstedlund (before ab. 1550 Kongeslevlund) was possibly owned by the families Munk and Hvide in the 1300s and the beginning of the 14oos, but the first of certainty is in 1469, when Joachim Bjørnsen's son hr. Anders Jacobsen Bjørn, + 1490, had witness of the thing for his right to the estate, and his son's son Henrik Bjørnsen Bjørn is the owner in 1538. After his death in 1540 his sister's sons Jens Kaas (Sparre-Kaas), + 1578, and kansler Niels Kaas , + 1594, and his half-siblings Christoffer, Iver and Kirsten Lunge Dyre had part in K. The last mentioned was married to Axel Juul of Villestrup, + 1577, whose son Niels Juul, + 1600, from ab. 1590 was the sole owner of K. His son Axel Juul sold in 1637 Kongstedlund to Iver Krabbe of Østergård and Albæk, + 1641, whose widow Dorte Juul brought it to her second husband Erik Høeg Banner, + 1673. Various owners/families. In 1922 hofjægermester Jørgen Castenskiold.

The main building is listed in class A ; it is surrounded by broad and deep moats. The impressive western wing, built by Niels Juul, is in two storeys above vaulted cellars. It is a Renaissance house in monkbricks upon a plinth in grante ashlars. The now white-washed walls were probably rich decorated once. The richly carved sandstoneportal is put up by Iver Krabbe in 1640. The main building is restored inside and furnished with rich inventory. Renaissance furniture from Kongstedlund exhibited at Aalborg Museum.

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Sønder Kongerslev (* 1469 Synder Kongeslev, 1477 Sønder Kongsløff); Kongstedlund ( * 1469 Kongeslevlund, 1477 Kongsløfflundh, 1664 Kongsted lund); Kællingbjerggård ( * 1474 Kiellingbierg, 1477 Kælinghbergh).

In Kongstedlund kær, under 2 m peat, was found a medieval road and a wooden bridge across Haslevgård Aa, excavated by Aalborg Museum in 1947.

Listed prehistorics: East of the village is the long dolmen Store Monshøj, 65 m long, with large edge stones and a small pentagonal passage-grave chamber, and Lille Monshøj, a passage-grave with chamber of 12 bearing stones (no cover stone). Furthermore a longhill and 16 hills, of which the longhill and 5 hills form a pretty group upon the high terrain south of the village. At Kongstedlund is Krashøj and a stone circle at the edge of Vildmosen.
Demolished or destroyed: a round dolmen and 15 hills; there was a stone grave from early Roman period at Kællingbjerggård.

Source: Trap Danmark, Aalborg amt, 1961.
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Kongstedlund
belongs to one of the great main manors from the 16th century in Himmerland, but its history goes much longer back in time. According to legend it was established by an old Danish pirate king who lived at the farm and was buried in the hill Store Mogens (Store Monshøj), which is situated west of Sønder Kongerslev By (village). If Kongstedlund really was a pirate's castle is not to prove, but it is sure that the building place was chosen from defensive reasons. The farm/castle was established by a chief or a magnate who wasn't a part of the village-community. Its original name was Kongeslevlund. The first known owner was hr. Anders Jacobsen Bjørn, who in 1469 took witness of the Thing that " it was (his maternal grandfather) hr. Anders Ovesen Bjørn's rightful inheritance from his mother Marie Oves." This Marie Oves was Anders Jacobsen great-grandmother, married to hr. Ove Stigsen Hvide, and with him we are back in the 1400th century.

The western main wing was built in 1592 by hr. Niels Juul, whose father in 1542 built the nearby manor Villestrup in Himmerland. Kongstedlund is now white-washed, but it was undoubtedly decorated and with raw red stones upon a heavy carved granite plinth. The Renaissance house is built above a vaulted cellar from the earlier manor. The finest sight of Kongstedlund is the sandstoneportal on the main wing . The initials "IK/DI" refer to Iver Krabbe and Dorte Juul who put it up in 1640.

Source: Danske herregårde, bd. 11, 1966; Danmarks slotte og herregårde , Niels Peter Stilling, 1998.


photo Sønder Kongerslev kirke /Kongstedlund 2003: grethe bachmann

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