Vejby Church

Vejby Church (Vejby Kirke) is a Church of Denmark parish church situated in the little village of Vejby, between Tisvilde and Helsinge, Gribskov Municipality, some 60 km northwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of a Romanesque nave from the first half of the 12th century, tower and chancel from around 1500 and two porches from the 19th century. It is notable for its late Gothic fresco paintings in the chancel arch from the 15th century. The painter Eiler Bille is buried in the associated graveyard.

History
The church was probably constructed in the first half of the 12th century. The church is first mentioned in around 1210 when the tithe right was transferred from the Bishops of Roskilde to Æbelholt Abbey. That the church had its own parish priest is known from sources from 1376, 1400 and 14932. The large eastern extension of the nave was probably financed by the rich donations from pilgrims to the nearby St. Helen's Spring.

In 1567, Tibirke was home to 60 tithe-paying households. Towards the end of the century, drafting sands had started to bury fields and farms in the area. In 1612, Tib was annexed to Vejby.

An inventory from 1647 mentions that the church belongs to the crown and that there are neither noble burials nor tombs. On 1 May 1720, Vejby and Tibirke churches were instead transferred to Frederiksborg Cavalry District. Vejby Church was later sold to the local tithe-payers.

The rectory was destroyed by fire in 1871. On 1 October 1912, Vejby Church was turned into a self-owned institution.

Carl Bendix Koch (1835–1912) served as pastor at the church around the turn of the century. In 1914, Viktor Emanuel Lauritz Haagen-Müller (1864–1943) was appointed as provost of Vejby-Tibirke. His son Victor Haagen-Müller—who would later become a painter— was born in Vejby Rectory. Hans Peter Honoré served as provost of Vejby-Tibirke from 192 until 1964. He founded the Vejby-Tibirke Society.

Architecture
The original Romanesque church was constructed in Scanian sandstone ashlars (probably from the environs of Helsingborg). Constructed in three stages, with short interruptions, it consisted of nave, west tower, chancel and apse. The tower contained a manorial pew in a gallery. The lower part of this tower was later used for a western extension of the nave. The present tower dates from around 1500. The present chancel dates from around the same time. The southern porch was added in 1769. The northern porch was also added in the 18th century.

Interior
The interior is decorated with church frescos. Some of them were created by the Issefjord Workshop.

Furnishings and fittings
The Renaissance-style altar front, altarpiece and pulpit date from around 1599 and were probably all made by the same workshop. The Romanesque baptismal font with relief decorations is carved in granite. The Gothic era is represented with a Late Gothic crucifix. The pews are designed in the Baroque style. A robust door with iron fittings in one of the porches is from 1556 and features an inscription that states that it offers protection against all devil's claws. Three paintings date from the same period. The two church bells are from 1489 and 1576.

Graveyard
The surrounding graveyard is surrounded by a white-plastered wall from around 1786. A modern extension from 1967 is connected to it via two narrow openings. Notable burials include:
 * Ejler Bille (1910-2004), painter
 * Arne Ingdam (1921-2002), sculptor
 * Agnete Therkildsen (1900-1993), painter