Åby Church 1.66

Åby Church is a church located in Åby Parish in Aarhus, Denmark. The church is situated in the neighbourhood Åbyhøj, west of Midtbyen. The church is today a parish church in the Church of Denmark, serving a parish population of 10.925 . The Åby Church pastorate is shared with the Åbyhøj Church to the north.HistoryThe church is situated in the western neighbourhood Åby which was formerly a village. The original church constructed of ashlar was built c. 1200 and in the Late Middle Ages it was lengthened towards the west. Two imposts in the chancel arch which were transferred to the new building, the one in the south is, owing to its cylindrical shape, assumed to be an imitation in stone of a decorated wooden post.ArchitectureThe present building was constructed in 1872-73 when it was decided it wasn't economical to renovate the former medieval church. The church was designed by Vilhelm Theodor Walther, who worked as the royal building inspector for Jutland at the time, in romanesque style imitation inspired by Italian elements. The walls are bands of yellow and red bricks and the building resembles a traditional apse, chancel, nave and tower. In 1929 the tower spire was made taller and clad in copper.