Smollerup church / Smollerup kirke, Fjends herred, Viborg amt.

Smollerup Church, photo: stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk

Smollerup church has a Romanesque choir and nave with late Gothic additions - a tower to the west and a porch to the south. The Romanesque section is in granite ashlars upon a bevel plinth. Both original doors are kept, the southdoor is in use with some high frame stones which support a large heavy tympanum; the north door is bricked-up with a half circular tympanum-field carved above two stone beams. Both doors are straight edged inside. In the north wall of the choir is kept a round arched window, which is in use, and in the south wall of the choir is a bricked-up circular opening: a leprosy window or eventually just a niche. The choir arch has bevel-edged kragsten and plinth stones. Choir and nave have flat beamed ceilings. The late Gothic tower, which narrow cross-vaulted bottom room is connected to the nave in a round tower arch, have small glare-fields along the peep-holes and smooth re-walled gables to the north and south. The southside is face-walled in present time. The porch has probably some Gothic wallwork, but is very rebuilt with red bricks.

Bell from the 1100s

The altarpiece is a fourwinged construction in Renaissance from ab. 1600-25 with a biblical painting in the large field.  Romanesque granite font with a smooth basin upon a cubic foot with claw-corners. A smooth copper bowl, probably from the 1700s. A Renaissance pulpit 1615, very heavily restored. Pews in late Renaissance with the year 1652 and initials M B D I. The bell, which is difficult accessible, is without doubt one of the earliest in the country, probably from the beginning of the 1100s. It has an inscription upon the beehive-shaped bellbody with deep majuskels "hoc vas ex benedic d(eu)s atqve tuere", "this vessel in ore, bless and protect it, God!" In the porch a strange gravestone for Niels Christensen (+ 1679) and Mette Jensdatter  (+ 16..) with coat of arms between a pillar. In the tower a grave-plate for Else Gregersdatter (+ 1642). The main entrance of the church yard was in 1957 re-newed and equipped with a pretty wrought iron gate.

Smollerupgård belonged to Viborg chapter in 1460; in 1468 the chapter exchanged it to the bishop, who had a bailiff there. In 1496 Las Bratze (Saltensee of Linde) dated a letter from S. in 1533 and 1542, which confirmed the bishop's ownership of S., but in 1541-55 Maren Andersdatter is mentioned of S. Maybe S. was among the farms she in 1555 conveyed to Hald manor. In 1664 and later it was under Lundgård. In the 1500s and 1600s S. was usually inhabited by the bailiff of Fjends herred.

Upon Tinghøj was held the judicial thing of Fjends herred, until it in 1688 moved to Kvaldersted.

Listed prehistorics: 17 hills, of which Gramshøj ,which is placed together with 4 other hills west of Smollerup and Råhøj west of the village, are rather large.

Demolished or destroyed: 25 hills.

 

opposite Smollerup church is a piece of land where a battle was fought in the 1400s as far as I know, but I haven't found any material about it - yet. 

Names in the Middle Ages: Smollerup (1392 Smullerup, 1524 Smollervp) Lånum (1392 Languum, 1480 Lanom, 1524 Laanom, Lanom); Øster Børsting (1465 Øster Børsting); Rørgård (1492 Rørgardt).

Source: Trap Danmark, Viborg amt , 1962.

photo March 2010: grethe bachmann & stig bachmann nielsen, naturplan.dk