Behold Veng Kirke a testament to time. This isn’t just any church. It stands as one of Denmark’s oldest surviving monastic churches a truly remarkable structure.
Veng Kirke also known as Veng Monastery Church has a story spanning centuries. Originally a Benedictine monastery founded by Valdemar I’s predecessors it fell into disrepair in the 1160s. Only three monks and a rather unruly abbot remained. In 1166 the Cistercians took over. They didn’t stay long. In 1168 they moved to Kalvø in Skanderborg. Finally in 1172 they established the great Øm Kloster. Veng became a subordinate monastery. Today only the church endures a near-perfect survivor of grand church restorations in the late 1800s.
The church’s architecture is breathtaking. Built between 1100 and 1125 it’s a stunning example of Romanesque design. The original materials are impressive. All the original parts are of freestone ashlar above a plinth. The choir section even contains some iron ore. Notice the apse its half-dome vault a beautiful remnant. Its semi-circular east window is framed by spiraling bands and round rods. Look closely at the north-east wall. There’s a small circular window a fascinating detail. The south door has been widened. The north door is bricked up.
The craftsmanship is incredible. The builder likely trained in England. Note the two-story transept chapels each with its own apse. This is unique. It suggests the presence of at least four side altars maybe even more including a possible lay altar and one in the upper story of the west tower. The original west tower held a spire. A peculiar staircase remains. The towers above the southern transept and the porch were added later.
The church has seen many changes. In 1767 Wengegaard a royal estate was sold to Friedrich Ludwig von Woyda. It was originally the barn of Veng Kloster. Von Woyda renamed it Sophiendal after his wife. When he died in 1778 the south transept became a burial chapel. The church underwent restoration then. A sandstone tablet above the porch commemorates Frederica Anne Sophie Adeler’s contribution. In 1888 the coffins were buried under the south transept floor. The space was then reintegrated into the church.
Veng Kirke was dedicated to the Trinity in the Middle Ages. Examine the apse closely. The wide apse arch is accentuated by round rods above corner pillars with spiral bands and block capitals. The choir side walls display two tiers of blind arcading. Below are five deep round arched niches separated by almost free-standing pillars. Above are six flat round arched arcading. The lower stories of the transept chapels connect to the nave through arches with angular corbels. The chancel arch is flanked by three pairs of three-quarter columns. Their tall intertwined capitals support three round rods. The nave and choir received ribbed vaults in the late Gothic period. The north transept has a beamed ceiling and small windows in the apse and outer wall.
Remnants of Romanesque frescoes are visible in the apse and the choir’s arcade blind arcading. They have been overpainted. Decorative ornamentation can still be seen in the south chapel of the southern transept. The altarpiece is from the early 17th century with a painting from 1655. The pulpit is also from the early 17th century. The Romanesque granite baptismal font has double lions on its bowl. Veng Kirke a journey through history awaits.