Sønder Aarslev Church (Danish: Sønder Aarslev Kirke) is a church located in Årslev, a small village-suburb in the western parts of
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
, Denmark. Årslev is situated in the
Brabrand
Brabrand () is a postal district of Aarhus Municipality, Denmark. South of Brabrand, in the Aarhus river-valley, is the largest recreational area of Aarhus Municipality, comprising the Brabrand Lake and the meadow-lake of Årslev, with surroundin ...
district, west of
Aarhus city center. It is the church of Sønder Årslev Parish within the
Church of Denmark and serves a parish population of 993 (2016). The church has an adjoining cemetery and the painter Jens Hansen-Aarslev (1847–1928) is buried there.
History
Sønder Aarslev Church originally belonged to the
Ancient See of Aarhus but after the reformation ownership passed to the
Danish Crown. In 1686 the owner of Kærbygård Manor Otto Bielke was given Sønder Aarslev Church by king
Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...
but five years later he sold it to the merchant Christen Wegerslev in
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
. In the following the church changed owner several times before Count
Christian Frijs of
Frijsenborg Manor bought the church on auction in 1758. In 1912 the church became self-owning in connection with the abolition of tithe.
Until 12 May 1873,
Tilst Church
Tilst Church is a church in Aarhus, Denmark, situated in the suburb Tilst 8 kilometers north-west of Aarhus city center. Tilst Church is from the 1100s, erected as a typical Danish Romanesque village church. Later additions in the 15th century add ...
functioned as an annex to Sønder Aarslev Church in Sønder Aarslev Parish. In 1873, Sønder Aarslev Church itself became an annex church to
Brabrand Church
Brabrand Church (Danish: Brabrand Kirke) is a church located in Brabrand Parish in Aarhus, Denmark. The church is situated in the neighbourhood Brabrand by Brabrand Lake, west of Midtbyen. The church was originally devoted to St. Martin but i ...
, while Tilst Church became the primary church in its own
pastorate
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
where Kasted Church was an annex.
Architecture
The oldest parts of the church building was likely constructed in the end of the 1100s when a stone church replaced an original wooden structure. In the late
Middle Ages the church was expanded and the original flat wooden ceiling was replaced with
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
rib vault
A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic ...
s. The first tower, a
Stilt Tower
The stilt tower ( da, styltetårn) is a special type of Medieval church tower, concentrated in Djursland peninsula and neighbouring regions of Danish Jutland.
In this type, only the upper storey with the bells has four walls. The lower parts of ...
, is likely from this period as well. In 1883 the church got its present tower. In 1870 the church was extensively renovated and
crow-stepped gables were added and the north door was walled off.
See also
*
List of Churches in Aarhus
References
External links
Kolt Church WebsiteChurch of Denmark's page for Kolt Parish
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sønder Aarslev Church
Lutheran churches in Aarhus
Lutheran churches converted from Roman Catholicism
Churches in the Diocese of Aarhus