Saturday, August 29, 2009

Sjørslev Church and Aunsbjerg Manor, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt.


Sjørslev Church, ab. 12 km south of Viborg
Sjørslev sogn, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt.

Steen Steensen's grave hill in the church yard

Sjørslev Church has a Romanesque choir and nave and a western tower from ab. 1500-1550, but the church is marked outside and inside by rebuilding in 1768-72. Both doors were probably formed as pillar portals - they were destroyed in 1768 and together with other ashlar material re-used as a foot upon Steen Steensen's burial mound northwest of the church. Here are monolite coverstones and ashlars from at least three windows and bases from the door with pearl-rows, akantus leaves etc. The choir has an octagonal vault. In 1768-72 the eastern, western and southern wall was rebuilt with small bricks and the tower got a curved spire with a weather vane, and its bottom floor was furnished as a porch with a western entrance. The tower is built in granite and monkbricks and has a cross vault contemporary with the walls and a round arcade to the nave. On the west side of the choir a profiled wooden beading with rocaillekartouche, the year 1772 and a biblical inscription.

After 1915, when Peter de Neergård took over Aunsbjerg, the choir and nave got new red-tiled roofs, wooden windows and an inside repair. The frescoes from 1550 are restored Renaissance ornaments in rather strong colours - and around the windows are frescoe Rococo frames from 1768-72. Gothich frescoes are below the present frescoes on the choir vault. The nave with a medieval storey-work got a board ceiling and is in four large sections with coat of arms and gilt initials SS MES and the year 1768 in the middle. The ceiling is in blue, red and white colours.

The pretty inventory is marked by Rococo and Classicism. The earliest inventory is the Romanesque granite font , one of the main works among "the Lion Fonts". A choir crucifix is from ab. 1475. Or else the inventory is Rococo and Renaissance. The stools are partly Renaissance and Rococo . The pulpit is Rococo. From a Gothic pew-set from Karup Church are preserved some gables. A large fine bronze chandelier. A klingpung (small purse or bag placed upon a long stick, used for collection ) given 1706 by Samuel Olufssøn. Two iron cast wooden money boxes from ab. 1775.

Upon the church yard was in 1938 built a chapel inspired by an oriental mosque.

Source: Trap Danmark , Viborg amt, 1962.
photo Sjørslev kirke 2006: grethe bachmann.

Aunsbjerg Herregård/Manor


Aunsbjerg, 12 km south of Viborg
Sjørslev sogn, Lysgård herred, Viborg amt.

Information from "Danske slotte og herregårde":
Aunsbjerg is an old farm/manor, first mentioned in king Oluf's time, when it belonged to Niels Eriksen of the family which took the name Løvenbalk after its family-coat of arms. (A blue lion above golden beams) The family Løvenbalk owned Aunsbjerg for more than 150 years. The family was said to be of royal blood, descending from Christoffer II and a lady of the Lunge-family, and the blue lion in the coat of arms suggests that it might be the truth. This seems probable since Niels Eriksens father was named Erik Christoffersen - he was the owner of Aunsbjerg in 1340.

Niels Eriksen had with his wife Sophie Johansdatter Rantzau only one child, a son hr. Jens Nielsen Løvenbalk, who became the next owner of the Aunsbjerg. He was landsdommer (High court judge) in Nørrejylland and rigsråd , mostly known for his killing Jens Jensen Brock of Clausholm. He died very old ab. 1438 and left a large family, of whom one son was the ancestor of the Løvenbalk-family at Tjele, another was Erik Jensen Løvenbalk who was the owner of Aunsbjerg, which later belonged to his two sons, Peder, who died early, and hr. Erik Eriksen Løvenbalk, who later became sole owner of Aunsbjerg and still was alive at the end of the 1400s, but died soon after. (Note: One of Jens Nielsen Løvenbalk's daughters Marine Jensdatter Løvenbalk was married to Jens Kaas of Kaas.)


at Aunsbjerg

The family's economic deroute began with Erik Eriksen Løvenbalk. He had from time to time pawned a big part of his estate to Niels Clementsen and after his death his son Gert Eriksen and four daughters continued these mortgages, which gradually became sheets. In the years 1509-12 Gert Eriksen Løvenbalk and his two sisters Sophie and Pernille had two thirds of Aunsbjerg handed over with much adjoining land, but the last third came from the other two daughters to hr. Predbjørn Podebusk of Vosborg.

Aunsbjerg was split in several inheritances after 1609. One of the owners in the middle of the 1500s was Mogens Gjøe, who build the pretty half-timbered main building upon a medieval motte. The name of the manor is known as a part of Danish literary history thanks to Steen Steensen Blicher's novel "Skytten på Aunsbjerg" ( The Gamekeeper at Aunsbjerg). Blicher was named after his uncle Steen Steensen who in 1752 inherited Aunsbjerg after his father. He was ennobled with the name de Steensen. When he was a child Blicher often stayed at Aunsbjerg where his aunt taught him that his "will was in her pocket". Aunsbjerg was in 1838 sold to Peter C. Neergård.

The main building - where the old wing is listed in class B - is placed upon a big motte; the old moats are partly preserved. The big cross house was probably a three storey building, but was reduced in the beginning of the 1800s by the godsslagteren (the manor slaughter) Lindahl. The north wing is built 1917-18. In the dining hall is a fireplace with the coat of arms of Peder Marsvin and Mette Brahe.

Source:
Danske slotte og heregårde, Midtjylland, bd. 13; Trap Danmark, Viborg amt;

Jytte Ortmann: Slotte og herregårde i Danmark; Niels Peter Stilling, Danmarks slotte og herregårde, 1998.


at Aunsbjerg

Names in the Middle Ages and 1600s:
Sjørslev (* 1430 Siørsløff, 1498 Sørsleff); Demstrup (* 1429, 1499 Demstrup); ØsterVandet (* 1477 Østeruandett); Mellem Vandet (1683 Middel Wandet, Mellom Wandit); Vester Vandet (1498 Vanneth, * 1512 Westerwandett); Aunsbjerg ( * 1377 Awænsberg, 1396 Awendsberg); Humle vandmølle (* 1425 Homelmølle).

In the parish was a village Skovstrup (*1329 Skoustrop marck) which was abandoned in the 1500s. The land came under Aunsbjerg. North of Demstrup was a farm Kistrup (* 1511 Kiistrup). Furthermorer is in the parish mentioned the farm Lille Medelhede (* 1496 Medelby,
* 1543 Lidell Melhede) and the house Graverhus (1683 Grafver Huus March ).

Listed prehistorics: 10 hills, of which Egenhøj at VesterVandet is rather large.
Demolished or destroyed: 85 hills, mainly in the northern part of the parish, and at several places large groups, like at Brødløsgård north of Sjørslev and northwest of Demstrup.

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt, 1962.


photo Aunsbjerg/Sjørslev 2006/2008: grethe bachmann

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