Tunø
Encyclopedia
Tunø is a Danish
island in the Kattegat
, approximately 4 km from Samsø
. The island covers an area of 3.52km² and has 113 inhabitants, as of 2005. It comes under the administration of Odder municipality
. The island's premier town is known as Tunø By, the secondary town is Løkkegårde.
Tunø harbour, lies a little east of the town of Tunø By, and is protected by 2 piers. It has room for approximately 170 boats. From the harbour there is a daily ferry service to and from the town of Hou
, East Jutland
.
Every summer the island holds a popular music festival, Tunø Festival, which often attracts international artists. In 2011 the festival will enjoy its 25th anniversary.
style, however it has undergone many refurbishments and now stands as a Gothic
church with stepped gables or corbie steps
. The church is famous for its tower which also functions as a lighthouse
. The tower was originally completed in 1801. It was extended to a height of 31 metres above sea level in 1820. The tower was again heightened in 1906 to improve view to and from the lighthouse. In the past the minister would have also served as the lighthouse keeper
.
In 1216 the Danish king Valdemar II handed over control of Tunø to the bishop
of Århus. Inside Tunø Church the minister and parish clerk's seats, which date from around 1520, are carved with the coat of arm's of Niels Clausen Skade, the then bishop of Århus.
The Church is adorned with several fresco
es and triptych
s. The sepulchral tablet on the north wall of the choir has a fresco depicting the vicar
Jørgen Hansen, who was said to have been tossed by a bull on July 31, 1640. A triptych, with two moveable panels that were painted by evangelist
s in 1731, is a cupboard altar from around 1490. The triptych depicts the Virgin Mary as heavenly Queen perched on a crescent holding the Baby Jesus in her left arm whilst holding a bunch of grape
s in her right hand. The Virgin Mary is flanked by Saint Clemens
with an anchor
and Saint Alexius
. This is believed to be the only depiction of Saint Alexius in Denmark.
It is said that prior to the foundation of the church, Tunø's residents would sail to nearby Samsø
to attend Nordby Kirke, whose bricked up northern door is referred to as Tunboernes dør or Tunø islander's door.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
island in the Kattegat
Kattegat
The Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
, approximately 4 km from Samsø
Samsø
Samsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...
. The island covers an area of 3.52km² and has 113 inhabitants, as of 2005. It comes under the administration of Odder municipality
Odder municipality
Odder municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark just south of Aarhus and is a part of the greater Aarhus area. The municipality includes the islands of Alrø and Tunø, and covers an area of 225 km². It has a total population...
. The island's premier town is known as Tunø By, the secondary town is Løkkegårde.
Tunø harbour, lies a little east of the town of Tunø By, and is protected by 2 piers. It has room for approximately 170 boats. From the harbour there is a daily ferry service to and from the town of Hou
Hou
Hou or HOU may be*-hou, a Norman suffix for "small island"*Hō, an album by Maximum the Hormone*Houston, Texas*William P. Hobby Airport's IATA code*Hou , a rank of Chinese nobility and a Chinese surname...
, East Jutland
East Jutland metropolitan area
East Jutland metropolitan area is a geographic term for an area in Jutland, Denmark.The term denotes a functional coherent urban area linked by both infrastructure and labour across municipal boundaries...
.
Every summer the island holds a popular music festival, Tunø Festival, which often attracts international artists. In 2011 the festival will enjoy its 25th anniversary.
Tunø Church
Tunø church was most likely built in the 14th century in a RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style, however it has undergone many refurbishments and now stands as a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
church with stepped gables or corbie steps
Crow-stepped gable
A Stepped gable, Crow-stepped gable, or Corbie step is a stair-step type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building...
. The church is famous for its tower which also functions as a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
. The tower was originally completed in 1801. It was extended to a height of 31 metres above sea level in 1820. The tower was again heightened in 1906 to improve view to and from the lighthouse. In the past the minister would have also served as the lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
.
In 1216 the Danish king Valdemar II handed over control of Tunø to the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Århus. Inside Tunø Church the minister and parish clerk's seats, which date from around 1520, are carved with the coat of arm's of Niels Clausen Skade, the then bishop of Århus.
The Church is adorned with several fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es and triptych
Triptych
A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...
s. The sepulchral tablet on the north wall of the choir has a fresco depicting the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
Jørgen Hansen, who was said to have been tossed by a bull on July 31, 1640. A triptych, with two moveable panels that were painted by evangelist
Evangelist
-Religion:*one of the Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels in the New Testament*a Christian who explains his or her beliefs to a non-Christian and thereby participates in Evangelism...
s in 1731, is a cupboard altar from around 1490. The triptych depicts the Virgin Mary as heavenly Queen perched on a crescent holding the Baby Jesus in her left arm whilst holding a bunch of grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s in her right hand. The Virgin Mary is flanked by Saint Clemens
Pope Clement I
Starting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
with an anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
and Saint Alexius
Saint Alexius
Saint Alexius or Alexis of Rome or Alexis von Edessa was an Eastern saint whose veneration was later transplanted to Rome, a process facilitated by the fact that, according to the earlier Syriac legend that a "Man of God" of Edessa, Mesopotamia who during the episcopate of Bishop Rabbula lived by...
. This is believed to be the only depiction of Saint Alexius in Denmark.
It is said that prior to the foundation of the church, Tunø's residents would sail to nearby Samsø
Samsø
Samsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...
to attend Nordby Kirke, whose bricked up northern door is referred to as Tunboernes dør or Tunø islander's door.
See also
- Nearby islands: EndelaveEndelaveEndelave is a Danish island in the Kattegat, north of Odense, off the coast of Funen, and west of Samsø. The island covers an area of and has 185 inhabitants.- See also :* Nearby islands: Hjarnø, Tunø, Samsø, Æbelø, Alrø....
, SamsøSamsøSamsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...
, ÆbeløÆbeløÆbelø is a Danish island in the Kattegat, off Funen's north coast. The island covers 2,09 km², between the island and Funen there are 4 smaller islands. There are 2 inhabitants on the island in the summer, in the winter it is defacto uninhabited...
, ÆrøÆrøÆrø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of Region of Southern Denmark. The western portion of the island was the municipality of Ærøskøbing; the eastern portion of the island was the municipality of Marstal...
. - Nearby cities: HorsensHorsensHorsens is a Danish city in east Jutland. It is the site of the council of Horsens municipality. The city's population is 53,807 and the Horsens municipality's population is 82,835 ....
, AarhusAarhusAarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
.