Tved church

Tved church is located at one of the most eastern points of Thy National Park. The church tells us the story about the changing landscape and the consequences for those who lived in the area.

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.

Tower and frescos

Times were changing and there were new demands on the church. Around 1500, a tower was built on the church in which the bell from 1498 could hang. The church room received a beautiful crucifix, and new frescos replaced the old. Among other things, a picture of Adam and Eve was painted on the south wall of the choir. The couple is depicted beside the tree of knowledge around which a snake is curling its way up. Adam is already holding the apple, and the Fall of Man is inevitable. The landscape around Adam and Eve is rather barren and not very fertile, but it resembles the local surroundings of that time quite well. Because at about the same time, the sand drift began to affect the parish and had disastrous consequences for the surroundings of the church.

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