Tunø Kirke - engelsk
Tunø Kirke 1.
Tunø Kirke 2.
Intro
Tunø Church is located near Møllebakken (Mill Hill), and the oldest parts of the church are believed to date from the 1200s.
Tunø Church is located near Møllebakken (Mill Hill), and the oldest parts of the church are believed to date from the 1200s. The nave was built about a century later. During the years 1450-1550, the tower and porch were added and the chancel was extended to give the church its present-day appearance. The interior wooden ceiling was later replaced by a cross-vaulted ceiling. The west-facing side of the tower had a tall arched recess for the bell. In 1801 the tower was reconstructed to double as a lighthouse. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in Denmark, and the only one to double as a church tower.
The church became independent in 1948. Tunø Church no longer has its own vicar, but is served by the vicars from the churches in the deanery of Odder.
The triptych dates from the late 15th century – when Denmark was still Catholic. There’s some uncertainty as to whether the triptych came from one of the side chapels in Aarhus Cathedral. The silk flag had been donated by a Norwegian captain’s wife named Dorothea Schwartzes in 1734. She gave it to the church in grateful commemoration of her husband’s rescue when his ship had run aground near the island in 1713.
The vicarage is located opposite the church. It burned down several times: once in 1767 when the parish registers were all lost, and again in 1852 in the great village fire. This time, the main house and the west wing were consumed by the flames. The east wing was spared, but later demolished to make way for the redbrick building of today.