Thorum Church stands gracefully in the landscape, blending Romanesque architecture with powerful Reformation history. The nave and chancel were built in the Romanesque period using granite ashlar, but the church was heavily rebuilt in the 1880s. In the Late Gothic period, the tower, porch, and north chapel were added using reused ashlar and monk bricks. Two bricked-up Romanesque windows remain, and the original north portal is faintly visible, while the southern columned portal is intact.
The Romanesque granite baptismal font is of high quality. Its quatrefoil-shaped basin is decorated with 16 carved human figures in high relief – a sister font can be found in Lyby Church. The baptismal basin dates from the 17th century.
The pulpit is also from the 1600s, but its painted decorations with coats of arms and signatures date to 1713 and are linked to Sten Bille of Jungetgård and his wife Mette Sehested.
The altarpiece is a local work from the late 1800s, painted by Hans Smidth. The altar candlesticks are from the 18th century. During restoration in 1952, wall paintings from two periods were uncovered. The large biblical figure scenes were likely painted around 1510–1525 by the same artist known from Grinderslev and Oddense Churches. The rib decorations are slightly older and date to the time of the north chapel’s construction.
On the north wall of the nave is a large horn-blowing figure and a smaller character. On the west side of the chancel arch is a young man’s head, and on the arch itself are depictions of Paul and Saint Christopher.
Thorum Church is also the starting point of the story of Peder Thomsen – a key figure in Danish church history. Originally a monk at Børglum Abbey, he studied in Wittenberg and reportedly lived with Martin Luther. Inspired by the Reformation, he returned to Denmark with fervor. Around 1528, he began preaching Luther’s teachings in Salling and participated in the 1537 negotiations that led to the Reformation’s official adoption. That same year, he was appointed bishop of Vendelbo Diocese.
Visiting Thorum means stepping onto historic ground – where echoes of Peder Thomsen’s bold words and vision still resonate.
