Voer Kirke

Når man med Grundtvig synger: "Tusind år stod Kristi kirke", er man måske for Voer Kirkes vedkommende nærmere den bogstavelige sandhed, end man umiddelbart forventer.

Med vor nuværende viden finde 'en til vished grænsende sandsynlighed' for det rigtige i denne foranstående 'anelse'.

Anderledes sikkert er det, at midt i Voer sogn på en højde i det svagt kuperede terræn, der hæver sig lidt over de omliggende strækninger, blev omkring 1150 den nuværende kirkebygning (kirkeskibet) opført.

I 250 år stod denne bygning uantastet, indtil forskellige ejere af Voergård efter 1400-tallet gennem flere gennemgribende om- og tilbygninger har forandret den til en af Vendsyssels ejendommeligste kirkebygninger

When one sings with Grundtvig: "A thousand years stood the church of Christ", one is perhaps closer to the literal truth than one might expect.

With our present knowledge we find 'a probability bordering on certainty' of the correctness of this 'hunch'.

What is more certain is that the present church building (the nave) was erected around 1150 in the middle of Voer parish on a hill in the gently hilly terrain that rises slightly above the surrounding hills.

For 250 years this building stood untouched, until various owners of Voergård after the 15th century, through several extensive alterations and extensions, transformed it into one of Vendsyssel's most peculiar church buildings

Voer Kirke ligger i umiddelbar nærheden af Voergård Slot

Skibets flankemure stammer fra en oprindelig romansk (1050-1240) kirke, hvor Norddøren spores i murværket, syddøren er stadig i brug. I sengotisk tid (1400-1530) blev det oprindelige kor erstattet af det nuværende langhuskor, samtidig opførtes våbenhuset.

Tårnet er ifølge en sandstenstavle i tårnets murværk mod vest opført i 1579 af Otto Banner og Ingeborg Skeel.

Tårnet og våbenhuset blev 1788 gennemgribende istandsat af Holger Reedtz-Thott, hvilket markeres af jernankre med årstallet og initialer for ham og hans hustru, Anna Beate Magdalene von Woida. Bygningen er hovedrepareret 1942-43 ved arkitekt E. Packness.

Sydkapellet præges helt af ombygningen til gravkapel for Otto Banner (død 1585), som hans hustru Ingeborg Skeel (død 1604) udførte.

På kirkegården ses gravsten for statsminister Erik Scavenius (død 1962).

Endvidere finder vi en mindeplade for greve Ejnar Oberbech-Clausen, Ridder af Maltheserordnen, se foto nedenfor.

Voer Church is located in the immediate vicinity of Voergård Castle

The flank walls of the nave originate from an original Romanesque (1050-1240) church, where the north door can be traced in the brickwork, the south door is still in use. In the late Gothic period (1400-1530) the original choir was replaced by the present longhouse choir, and the porch was built at the same time.

The tower was built in 1579 by Otto Banner and Ingeborg Skeel, according to a sandstone tablet in the tower's brickwork facing west.

The tower and porch were extensively restored in 1788 by Holger Reedtz-Thott, as marked by iron anchors bearing the date and initials of him and his wife, Anna Beate Magdalene von Woida.

The building underwent major repairs in 1942-43 by architect E. Packness.

The south chapel is entirely influenced by the conversion into a burial chapel for Otto Banner (d. 1585) by his wife Ingeborg Skeel (d. 1604).

The gravestone of Prime Minister Erik Scavenius (d. 1962) can be seen in the cemetery.

There is also a memorial plaque for Count Ejnar Oberbech-Clausen, Knight of the Order of Malta, see photo below.

Renovering af kirken 2005

Voer Kirke har i perioden april 2005 og et år frem gennemgået en total renovering af den indre del af kirken.

Kirken står nu lys og indbydende med friske nye farver. Alt historisk inventar er frisket op og fremstår mere klart end tidligere. Desuden er alle de tekniske installationer gennemgået og om nødvendigt fornyet. Gulvet i koret er hævet 10 cm. hvorved der nu undgås et trin ned fra våbenhuset til skibet og et trin mindre op i koret. Kirken er dermed gjort mere handicapvenlig.

Renoveringen blev nødvendig, da menighedsrådet konstaterede, at en af hvælvingerne i koret slog alvorlige revner. Da man gik revnen nærmere efter, konstaterede man med hjælp af fagfolk, at hele gavlen mod øst havde sat sig og i værste fald ville falde ud. Da den indvendige del af kirken ikke er sat i stand siden 1942, besluttede menighedsrådet også at renovere her.

Renovering af kirken kostede i alt 4 millioner kr. Heraf har Augustinus Fonden og A.P. Møller og hustrus fond til almene formål dækket omkostningerne til renovering af altertavle og kalkmalerier.

Renovation of the church 2005

Voer Church has undergone a total renovation of the inner part of the church in the period April 2005 and one year ahead.

The church is now bright and inviting with fresh new colours. All historical fixtures have been freshened up and appear clearer than before. In addition, all the technical installations have been reviewed and renewed where necessary. The floor in the chancel has been raised by 10 cm, thus avoiding one step down from the porch to the nave and one step less up in the chancel. The church has thus been made more handicapped accessible.

The renovation became necessary when the parish council noticed that one of the vaults in the chancel was seriously cracked. When the crack was investigated, it was found, with the help of professionals, that the entire eastern gable had settled and, in the worst case, would fall out. As the interior of the church had not been repaired since 1942, the parish council decided to renovate it as well.

Renovation of the church cost a total of 4 million DKK. Of this, the Augustinus Foundation and the A.P. Møller and wife's foundation for general purposes covered the cost of renovating the altarpiece and the frescoes.

Kirkerummet

Skibet har fladt bjælkeloft, som er bemalet. Korets hvælv stammer fra opførelsen af det sengotiske langhuskor. I korhvælvet ses kalkmalede anevåben for Jørgen Arenfeldt og Rigborg Lindenov.

Altertavlen er en fløjaltertavle i ungrenæssance, den er stafferet i 1621 med våben for Jørgen Arenfeldt og hustru, storfeltets maleri er malet af E.A. Exner i 1777.

Prædikestolen er fra slutningen af 1500-tallet, reliefferne er udført af Arnt van Darvidt, nogle af disse er nu på Nationalmuseet. Herskabsstolene har våben for Jørgen Arenfeldt og hustru.

I sydkapellet er opstillet et sandstensepitafium for Otto Banner (død 1585) og Ingeborg Skeel (død 1604). I midten ses ægteparret knæle foran en bedepult, bag ægteparret ses Korsfæstelsen. Under de knælende ses otte våben for Ingeborg Skeel samt otte våben for Otto Banner.

Indtil 1959 har der kun været en dør af malet pap i porthvælvingen til Epitafet, men grev Einar Oberbech-Clausen skænkede en smuk smedejernsdør med glasindfatninger. Øverst p døren er sandblæst grevens våbenskjold og initialer samt året 1955, hvor han overtog Voergård gods. Smedejernsdøren har kostet kr. 7.000, se avisartikel nedenfor

På kapellets østvæg ses en mindesten over Niels Skeel (død 1561) og hans hustru Karen Krabbe samt deres søn Hans Skeel, der faldt ved Falkenberg i 1565. Indskriften siger, at Niels Skeel, Karen Krabbe og Hans Skeel hviler i Voer, men Niels Skeel er begravet i Vinderslev Kirke og Hans Skeel er begravet i Viborg Domkirke.

Den romanske døbefont af granit har fire knopper på kummen, den ene knop danner hoved til en primitiv figur, der har oprindelig været fem knopper, foden er stærkt ophugget.

The Church

The nave has a flat beamed ceiling, which is painted. The choir vault dates from the construction of the late Gothic longhouse choir. In the choir vault are frescoed commemorative coats of arms for Jørgen Arenfeldt and Rigborg Lindenov.

The altarpiece is a winged altarpiece in the early Renaissance, it was painted in 1621 with the coat of arms of Jørgen Arenfeldt and his wife, the painting of the large field was painted by E.A. Exner in 1777.

The pulpit is from the end of the 16th century, the reliefs are by Arnt van Darvidt, some of these are now in the National Museum. The pews bear the arms of Jørgen Arenfeldt and his wife.

In the south chapel is a sandstone epitaph for Otto Banner (d. 1585) and Ingeborg Skeel (d. 1604). In the centre the couple are seen kneeling before a prayer desk, behind the couple is the Crucifixion. Below the kneelers are eight arms for Ingeborg Skeel and eight arms for Otto Banner.

Until 1959 there was only a painted cardboard door in the doorway to the Epitaph, but Count Einar Oberbech-Clausen donated a beautiful iron door. The Count's coat of arms and initials are sandblasted at the top of the door, along with the year 1955, when he took over Voergård manor. The wrought iron door cost DKK 7,000, see news article below

On the east wall of the chapel is a memorial stone to Niels Skeel (d. 1561) and his wife Karen Krabbe, and their son Hans Skeel, who fell at Falkenberg in 1565. The inscription says that Niels Skeel, Karen Krabbe and Hans Skeel rest in Voer, but Niels Skeel is buried in Vinderslev Church and Hans Skeel is buried in Viborg Cathedral.

The Romanesque baptismal font of granite has four knobs on the bowl, one knob forming the head of a primitive figure, there were originally five knobs, the foot is heavily chipped.