Essenbæk Church () is a
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in
Assentoft
Assentoft is a Denmark, Danish town on the peninsula of Jutland with a population of 3,956 in 2025. The town is located eight kilometers east of Randers,Stadsarkitektens Kontor (2011). ''Assentoft & Drastrup:'' ''Landsbyregistreringen 2011''. http: ...
,
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. It oversees
Essenbæk Parish in
Randers Southern Provostship within the
Diocese of Aarhus
The Diocese of Aarhus (Danish language, Danish: ''Århus Stift'') is one of 10 dioceses in the Church of Denmark, with headquarters in the city of Aarhus. The diocese covers a large district of northeast Jutland and comprises 14 deanery, deanerie ...
.
A church is believed to have existed on the site since the 12th century. Old Essenbæk Church stood on the site until 1865, when it was torn down to construct a new church. The current church was completed in 1869 in the
Romanesque style.
History
Old Essenbæk Church
An earlier church was built on a hill
[Møbjerg, Morten. ''Sct. Bernhard i Essenbæk'' in ''Scriptoriet''. Retrieved 2016-07-10](_blank)
/ref> in the hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
Haldherred probably in the 12th century, and is known from the 13th century as Essenbæk (Eskingbec) - a name which perhaps refers to the present Volkmølle Creek (''Volkmølle Bæk''). The first particle ''esking'' supposedly means an inhabitant of Assentoft, but the creek seems later to have been named after a fulling mill
Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate (lanolin) oils, dirt, ...
(''valkemølle''), which in time, however, was used as gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...
.
The church was first built in Romanesque style as a nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and probably a chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
– internally consisting of granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
boulders
In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...
[Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 16] built around raw fieldstone
Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...
, and externally of granite ashlars
Ashlar () is a cut and dressed stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones.
Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, and is generally ...
. On the northern and southern side of the church were a simple rectangular entrance, and the ceiling of the church was flat and plaster
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
y. Later the chancel was torn down, after which the eastern end of the nave, demarcated by an ogival
An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two- or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, and ballistics.
Etymology
The French Orientalist Georges Séraphin Colin gives as ...
chancel arch
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
, was used as such, and the northern entrance was walled up.steeple
In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...
resting on five pillars[Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 19] built into the nave[Møbjerg, Morten (2001). ''Sct. Bernhard i Essenbæk'' in ''Årsskrift 2001''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 26] above the southwestern corner of the church. A church porch
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way.
The porch ...
at the southern entrance and a groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: La ...
late Medieval
The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the period of European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
style of large medieval brick. Already September 4, 1424 the church was called Old Essenbæk (Danish: ''Gammel Essenbæk''), and was then owned by Essenbæk Abbey
Essenbæk Abbey (') was a Benedictine monastery located in Essenbæk Parish eight kilometers east of Randers and 1.7 kilometers north of Assentoft, Denmark.
History
Early history
The monastery was established by (Hvide), who was killed in ...
, which together with its estate was confiscated by the king in 1540. When the abbey was later torn down, its bell was taken to the church.
Christen Skel Jørgensen bought September 7, 1678 "the church's share of the tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...
of the mentioned parishes, the appurtenant easement over the parsonages and the smallholdings of the parish clerks and all of the churches' adjoining land estate and other appurtenant easement and the right of presentation
The right of patronage (in Latin ''jus patronatus'' or ''ius patronatus'') in canon law (Catholic Church), Roman Catholic canon law is a set of rights and obligations of someone, known as the patron in connection with a gift of land (benefice). I ...
" (''Kirkens Andel af Tienden af de nævnte Sogne, Herligheden over Præstegaardene og Degnebolene og alt Kirkernes tilliggende Jordegods og anden Herlighed samt Kaldsretten'') including e.g. Essenbæk Parish. With this so-called right of patronage he was in reality the owner of the church, though with the responsibility for its condition.[Blangstrup, Christian (1922). ''Salmonesis Konversationsleksikon. Anden Udgave. Bind XIII: Jernbaneret-Kirkeskat''. Copenhagen, Denmark: A/S J. H. Schultz Forlagsboghandel, p. 926]
When the art historian N. L. Høyen in 1830 visited Essenbæk Church, he drew e.g. its baptismal font
A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...
.[Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 26] However, when in the summer of 1865 the architect Johannes Frederik (Frits) Christian Uldall[Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 13] visited the church, there stood another baptismal font[Nielsen, Allan Berg (1984). ''Essenbæk gamle kirke'' in ''Årsskrift 1984''. Auning, Denmark: Lokalhistorisk forening for Sønderhald Kommune og Sønderhald Egnsarkiv, p. 17] – this one in Baroque style
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...
of wood,[Essenbæk Sogns Menighedsråd. ''Essenbæk Kirke''. Retrieved 2016-09-14](_blank)
/ref> and representing a kneeling figure bearing a basin.
Deconstruction
In the autumn of 1865[Nielsen, Niels; Skautrup, Peter; Mathiassen, Therkel (1963). ''J. P. Trap: Danmark, Femte Udgave''. ''Redigeret af Neils Neilsen • Peter Skautrup • Therkel Mathiassen. Randers Amt. Bind VII, 2''. Copenhagen, Denmark: G. E. C. Gads Forlag, p. 848] and was used some years still.[Johansen, Ejnar Thuesen (1979). ''Da man flyttede ligene i Assentoft'' in ''Årsskrift 1979''. Lokalhistorisk Forening for Sønderhald Kommune, p. 37] Some of the church's furniture, including 10 of the triptych
A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
's figurines representing the 12 Apostles
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
, were sold at auction, but the figurines representing the apostles James the Just
James the Just, or a variation of James, brother of the Lord ( from , and , , can also be Anglicized as "Jacob"), was, according to the New Testament, a brother of Jesus. He was the first Jewish bishop of Jerusalem. Traditionally, it is beli ...
and Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
were taken by the mason N. Schunck, who participated at the demolition. In 1894 he gave them to Randers Museum, and two years later Countess Christiane Scheel gave the triptych's figurines representing Christ
Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
and Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
to the museum. In 1910 a monument was erected on the churchyard, and in 1971 wooden gates were added to the then tile-hung portal in the churchyard dike.[Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen. ''Essenbæk Kirketomt''. Retrieved 2016-07-17] Around the monument, the corners of the church are indicated
The new church
The "church owner" wanted to build a new church in Assentoft, but the local parish superintendency would that a new church like the old one should stand outside the village.[Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Danmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 19] The Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Public Instruction, which mediated communication between the two parties,[Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 21] It was the first church that Frits UldallBishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
Brammer.[Trap, Jens Peter (1875). ''Statistisk-topographisk Beskrivelse af kongeriget Danmark ved J. P. Trap. Anden Udgave. Femte Deel''. Copenhagen, Denmark; Forlagsbureauet i Kjøbenhavn, p. 593] Its bell was recast in 1885.
After the "church owner" requested to be exempt from liability for the church's condition,
Architecture
The church is built in round-arch style of red large medieval brick,apse
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
towards east,pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
, the pews
A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a synagogue, church, funeral home or sometimes a courtroom. Occasionally, they are also found in live performance venues (such as the Ryman A ...
, the framings of the altarpiece
An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...
, and the foliage in the rafter ceiling were in Romanesque style when the church was consecrated.Pharisees
The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...
.
Furniture and fixtures
The granite baptismal font is from the Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
and has Romanesque reliefs
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
depicting heads on stakes, an Agnus Dei
is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within Christian liturgies descending from the historic Latin liturgical tradition, including those of Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism. It is the name given to a spec ...
, a bird and two lions on the basin.organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
in four voices is located in the organ loft
A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
at the church's western end.
Restorations
The building was subject to several restoration efforts in the 20th century. Between 1967 and 1968, Mogens Henri Jørgensen repainted the ceiling of the nave, the pulpit, and the pews.stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
piece in the apse, and the altarpiece rose. In 1993, a stained glass window created by Jørgensen was installed.
Cemetery and internments
Approximately three barrels of land
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
around the church have been landscaped to form a cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
. The churchyard is surrounded by a wall of shaped stones towards south and west, a stone dike towards north and east, and planted with coniferous trees
Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...
along the rest of its northern rim.mortuary
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cus ...
was built on the churchyard in 1930.[Mariager, Rasmus (1937). ''ESSENBÆK SOGNS HISTORIE: SAMLET OG UDGIVET AF R. Mariager''. Odder, Denmark; Duplikeringsbureauet, p. 22]
A large tombstone is installed within the northern wall of the church porch
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way.
The porch ...
measuring circa 2 meters by 1.5 meters high. It is decorated with a sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
relief
Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
depicting half-figure portraits of Anne Nielsdatter and her husbands Rasmus Pedersen and Bertel Henningsen.
Priests
* Peder Kat, c. 1500
* Magister Laurits, c. 1537
* Christen Thomsen, c. 1570
* Thomas Christensen, 1572–1583
* Rasmus Andersen, 1583–1619
* Jens Hansen Bruun, 1619–1635
* Jens Hansen Trige, 1635–1674
* Hans Lauritsen Carlbye, 1674–1704
* Laurits Hansen Trige, 1704–1724
* Niels Bertelsen Brunow, 1724–1768
* Frederik Pedersen Berg, 1768–1787
* Frederik Bartholin Berg, 1787–1809
* Jorgen C. Bloch Hegelund, 1809–1839
* Christian Dinesen, 1839–1863
* Alfred Hjalmar Elmquist, 1864–1890
* Mads Christian Andersen Østergård, 1890–1921
* Jens Michael Mikkelsen, 1922–1937
* Viggo Anton Sophus Jan Pade, 1938
* Børge Gabriel Barsøe, 1938–1979
* Anna Stovgaard Nicolaisen, 1980–1990
* Inger Lise Gram, 1991[Virring Church. ''VIRRING-ESSENBÆK SOGNEKALD: Præsterække''. Virring, Denmark.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essenbæk Church
Churches in the Central Denmark Region
Buildings and structures in Randers Municipality
Churches in the Diocese of Aarhus