Sand drift
The sand came in gradually from the west and destroyed the cultivated areas. Eventually the farmers had to give up and move their farms further east. However, the church remained, and huge efforts were made to keep the cemetery surrounding the church free of sand, so that people could continue to use it and the cemetery.
The church was therefore still in use, and in the late 1500s, a new altarpiece and pulpit were installed in order to follow the new trends in church design that came with the Reformation in 1536. The font was also moved to the chancel arch. In 1686, the altarpiece needed new paintings, and these are the pictures we see in the church today; Judas at the last supper sitting with the 30 silver coins.
Large parts of Tved parish were destroyed by the sand drift. The establishment of Tved Plantation did not begin until 1902, and as the trees grew taller, the landscape changed from open dune landscape to dense forest.
The church is open every day from 1 March to 1 November from 8am-5pm, except for Sundays and public holidays.
The medieval church
This church was built in the Middle Ages in the late 1100s. A Romanesque choir and nave were built from solid, carved boulders, and the surrounding area became the cemetery. Inside the church was a communion table made of stone. The font was decorated with three lions attacking a wild boar. It was placed between the two entrance doors in the west end of the church. On the walls were frescos in contemporary style. We assume that the farms of the village were built on the area surrounding the cemetery, because the soil was fertile, and there was access to good grazing areas in the meadows nearby.