Højerup Old Church, Stevns Klint

Sjælland, Stevns · Danmark · Church

Højerup Old Church, Stevns Klint — Sjælland, Stevns · Danmark · Church

The chalk church was raised around 1250–1300 at a safe distance from Stevns Klint. The sea had other plans. Legend says the church moves one cock's stride further inland every Christmas night, a poetic image of how slowly and inexorably the water undermined the cliff over centuries. On 16 March 1928 it ran out of time: the chancel and part of the churchyard collapsed into the sea, coffins and all. The folklorist Evald Tang Kristensen recorded another version of the name's origin — a Viking in distress off the cliff promised God a church wherever he came ashore, was thrown in beneath the sheer face, and cried that no church could be built there, whereupon a voice answered him: higher up. Now the severed nave stands on the brink, cut off from its own chancel.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Højerup Old Church, Stevns Klint?

Højerup Old Church, Stevns Klint ligger i Sjælland, Stevns, Danmark.

Flere hjemsøgte steder i Sjælland, Stevns

Oplysningerne bygger på lokal folketro og vidneberetninger.

Image: Mogens Engelund / CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons