Thorsager Church

Rønde, Denmark

Thorsager round church is the only one of its kind in Jutland (and one of Denmark's seven medieval round churches). It was built of brick around 1200 and is one of Jutland's oldest brick buildings - perhaps the oldest. Its thick walls (1m) are an indication of the defensive role it played.

The church may lie on the site of a pre-Christian sacrificial place for the god Thor. The size of the church and its architecture suggeste that is was built by an important man - probably the king. During restoration work in 1877-78 most of the church's outer walls were replaced with new bricks. Original bricks can still be seen in the north wall of the choir. During the last restoration in 1950-52 the beautiful church interior was restored with amongst other things a new altar and pulpit. There is access to the upper floor by a staircase within the door of the church.

Address

Kirkevej 10, Rønde, Denmark

See all sites in Rønde

Details

Founded: c. 1200
Category: Religious sites in Denmark
Historical period: The First Kingdom (Denmark)

More Information

www.visitdjursland.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Kalø Castle Ruins (7,5 km)

Viking Museum (25,9 km)
Aarhus Old Town (26,3 km)
Aarhus Cathedral (25,8 km)
Aarhus Theatre (25,8 km)
Church of Our Lady (25,9 km)
Moesgård Museum (31,9 km)
St. Morten’s Church (29,3 km)
Marselisborg Palace (28,7 km)
Gammel Estrup Manor (12,8 km)

User Reviews

Niklas de Fries (3 years ago)
It is always exciting to see the Danish circular churches - and Thorsager Round Church is no exception. Go in and have a look and stroll around the cemetery, which is very well kept. ( .. and even the parking lot is round!)

Elisabeth Nørnberg (3 years ago)
Jutland's only round church. It's super nice and sits beautifully in the countryside, stop by if you're nearby :)

Garrett Fagnou (3 years ago)
A very special round church with a beautiful graveyard around. The acoustics are quite nice inside.

Inge Andersen (3 years ago)
Interesting round church, worth a visit

Marianne Mondrup Simonsen (3 years ago)
Really nice and cozy

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.