Skeletal remains on the beach
A lot of the fixtures and furniture from Mårup Kirke are safeguarded in different ways. A late Gothic carving from the original altar has been moved to Lønstrup Kirke. The carving depicts the Virgin Mary, her mother St. Anne and the baby Jesus - a popular subject in the 16th century.
A granite baptismal font with brass dish from 1575 has been in the church in Lønstrup since 1928. The Romanesque granite font, which is decorated with plant ornamentation, is probably just as old as the church itself.
The threatening coastal erosion means that skeletal remains can fall down onto the beach below. These remains are collected by the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, and are then buried once more in a special grave at the churchyard in Lønstrup.
The northwestern section of the churchyard, which contains the famous "krigergrav”, is now severely eroded.
”Krigergraven”, or "warriors' grave", is said to contain the 226 sailors that were lost when the English frigate ”The Crescent” went down off the coast of Mårup in 1808. This claim is the subject of some dispute, however, and indeed the small size of the grave suggests that the majority of the sailors must be buried elsewhere. Perhaps the "warriors' grave" only contains the seven officers who drowned. There is a memorial describing the wreck in Lønstrup Kirke.
The ship's anchor at the church's western gable originates from The Crescent. It was salvaged from the wreck in 1940 and subsequently erected at the church.
In the eastern part of the churchyard is the campanile, which supports a bell from 1537. It was made by Lars Klokkestøber and carried the inscription: ”Help Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”
History of the church
Mårup Kirke was built in the middle of the 13th century. In its original form it is late Romanesque, consisting of a rectangular nave and an almost completely square chancel. The north side has retained the original construction, which is typical for the region's brick-built churches. The walls are divided into zones by pillars and finished at the top by double or triple arches. The lower points of the arches are marked by animal heads.
Unusually many graves
In 1998 the National Museum surveyed Mårup Kirke in a quest to find frescoes. Only a few were discovered and the remains were in poor condition. Some of the remnants can be seen in the church.
Archaeological surveys have also been carried out of the top layer below the church floor. An unusually high number of graves were discovered from the 17th and 18th centuries. A few of the graves were older than the church. There must therefore have been a burial site at the location before the church was built, which has also been seen at other similar excavations. There may well have originally been a wooden church at the site.
The survey of the church by the National Museum also revealed remnants of decorations. The oldest element is a double circle engraved into the rendering on the chancel's north wall. This may be a cross of inauguration from when the church was built.
On the church's eastern and northern walls and in the chancel arch the remains of late Medieval decorations are found, probably dating back to around 1500.