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The history of the churches

 Sct. Jacobi church is at the marketplace in Varde. The church is believed to have been built between 1150 and 1225, and was dedicated to the apostle James. The nave, the chancel and the apse are Romanesque, while the tower was added in the late Middle Ages. The church was extended in 1809-12 and was given the ground plan of a cruciform church. The extension was a result of the closing of the other church in Varde at the time Sct. Nikolai Church. Materials and furniture from the old church can be seen in Sct. Jacobi Church.

The organ was built in 1952 by the organ builders Marcussen and son. The church’s glockenspiel can be heard daily over the city. The tunes are recorded by the organist and selected in accordance with season and festivals.

Aal church, dating from the 1100s, can be visited in Oksbøl. The church is famous for its frescoes, in particular the very well-known knights’ frieze, which is unique in European church art. The frieze is reminiscent of the famous French Bayeux tapestry, which pictures the battle of Hastings in 1066. These frescoes are Denmark’s biggest pictorial work from the Middle Ages.

The crucifix is Romanesque, showing Christ as the victorious king with a crown on his head and a warrior’s skirt, not a loincloth. This is Christ seen through the eyes of faith: he was crucified on Good Friday, but Easter Sunday he rose victorious, having conquered death.

The site of the old Oksby church is at Blåvandvej just across from Skråvejen. The church was Denmark’s last thatched church until its demolition in 1891. The church was built in the middle of the 18th century but as early as 1770, it was necessary to remove drifting sand from the church and the churchyard.

The church had been in very bad condition for several years. Among other repairs, a new roof was badly needed. When in the late 1800s, a regulation was introduced under which all churches had to have solid roofs, a decision had to be made on whether to commence comprehensive restoration works or to build a new church.

Blåvand was then experiencing rapid growth and expressed a strong wish for a new church to be placed there, but the people of Vejers disagreed. A democratic decision was then reached to build-not one, but two new churches. Only one set of drawings was commissioned as it was easier to build two identical churches, but Oksby church was made slightly longer.

The new Oksby church was placed in Oksby, but the question of the location of the second church remained. The solution was Salomonic. Two men with equally long legs started walking towards each other from Mosevrå and Vejers and Mosevrå church was built where they met. The new churches were consecrated in 1891 and are still in use.


The church is idyllically situated between Grærup, Børsmose and Kærgård. It was built on the edge of the first glacial coastline. Børsmose church is a relatively new church. It was built in 1902 as an annex to Aal church in order to serve the needs of the local rural population. In 1968, however, the local district was compulsorily acquired by the Danish army, and only the church and the graveyard were extempted. This is why the church is now a small attractive sacred spot in the middle of tank tracks and shooting ranges. The church is still in use including a regular service held once a month.

The area west of the church was reclaimed after the glacial periods and is markedly lower than the land to the east. The low marshes offer excellent grazing, enjoyed not only by the few remaining local farmers but also by the red deer, of which there are large flocks in the area. The old coastline east of the road has been populated since the Stone Age. There is a magnificent view of the prehistoric Blåvandshuk from Børsmose church and from the uplands of Grærup. 
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