Christians Djurhuus

Christen Jensen Djurhuus (born April 24, 1708 in Knæverhede near Sæby , Nordjylland, † December 2, 1775 in Nes (Eysturoy) , Faroe Islands ) was a Danish pastor in the Faroe Islands. He is the progenitor of all Faroese who are called Djurhuus .

Christen was the son of farmer Jens Michelsen and Helle Andersdatter. He went to the Latin school in Sæby, about 6 km from Knæverhede Farm. There he graduated from high school in 1729. In Sæby Church there is an inscription carved into a bench: CHRISTEN IENSØN DUERHEED 1725

This is the first reference to the name Djurhuus . “Duerheed” probably refers to the Dyrheden farm south of Sæby, near the coast. The houses there are called Dyrhedens Huse , and for some reason Christer took the name Dyrhuus or Diurhuus, which was later spelled Djurhuus and translated means "animal house".

On July 21 of the same year he enrolled as a theology student at the University of Copenhagen . Afterwards he was tutor at Stadtvoigt von Sæby, Simon Mejer, and later at the provost of Jerslev , Henrik Klein. In 1734 he returned to the university, where he took his Philosophikum on September 10 and his theological state examination on December 8. On January 13, 1736, he gave his first trial sermon in the Trinity Church, and on April 12, 1737 he was ordained a priest in the Nikolaikirche in Copenhagen (in Scandinavia, Protestant pastors are also called priests ).

The next day, April 13th, he married Inger Nielsdatter Smith (1710–1781) at Frederiksberg Castle . Inger Smith was the daughter of Niels Henrik Smith and Inger Paludan from Vordingborg . She came to Copenhagen young and worked as a cook for the queen. Not much more is known about her than that she appears more frequently as godmother in the church records of Nes in the Faroe Islands.

On March 29, 1737, Christer Djurhuus was appointed chaplain of Nes on the Faroe Islands. That same spring he moved there with his wife. The local priest Anders Lemvig died on April 28th, 1742. On August 3rd of that year Christians Djurhuus became parish priest for Eysturoy.

Jens Christian Svabo mentions that the farmer's son Djurhuus tried to plant willows in the treeless Faroe Islands and that he actually laid out a small avenue of willow trees in Nes and further willows on a stile in Toftavatn . Djurhuus was also said to be the first in the Faroe Islands to fish for saithe with nets . This fishing method was to become of great importance to the poor in Tórshavn.

Christer Djurhuus also tried to improve the school system in the Faroe Islands. Among other things, he wrote to the Bishop of Zealand in 1760 and 1774 that a Danish school independent of the Latin school in Tórshavn should be set up. However, he was unsuccessful.

Christen Djurhuus died of typhus on December 2, 1775 . He and Inger had seven children, six of whom grew up. One daughter was married to Norway, the other three to Faroers. The two sons were Johan Christian Djurhuus (born May 19, 1741) and Andreas Djurhuus (born May 20, 1742).

literature

• Hanus Kamban : JHO Djurhuus: En litterær biografi . tape I . Odense Universitetsforlag, 2001, ISBN 87-7838-604-7 , p. 14th ff .