Keldby

Village and church with wall paintings. Medieval wall paintings on the road from Stege to Møns Klint

Photo: Allie_Caulfield, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

By Ingo Kroll · updated 30 October 2026 · Sources below

Keldby is a village in the middle of Møn, 4.7 km by road east of Stege on the road to Møns Klint. The reason to stop is Keldby Kirke: its walls and vaults carry wall paintings from several centuries, and the youngest major layer is by the Elmelunde Master. It is 15.4 km from here to the GeoCenter Møns Klint, about 18 minutes by car (OSRM, October 2026). The church is open daily from 9 to 20 (parish, as of October 2026).

Location and map

Keldby belongs to Vordingborg Kommune. According to the parish the name means "spring village": the settlement grew up around the holy spring Præstekilden, beside which the church stands. The water was believed to have healing powers. In 1372 a church convention decided that donors to the church at the spring could receive a special indulgence. This made the church rich, and the spring gradually dried up. In the village there are a few houses and farms, and the golf hotel Præstekilde on Klintevej (Danish Wikipedia).

Loading fetches map tiles from OpenStreetMap. · Sketch: © OpenStreetMap contributors

1: Keldby Kirke
2: Møn Golf Resort – Hotel Præstekilde
3: Keldby Camping Møn
4: Stege
5: GeoCenter Møns Klint

Getting there

By car: From Stege it is about 6 minutes, and from the GeoCenter Møns Klint about 18 minutes (OSRM, October 2026). How to reach the island is explained on the page Getting to the island of Møn. Stege with its harbour and the Mølleporten has a page of its own.

Two cyclists on a country road on Møn, cows grazing in the pasture beside them — Cycling the countryside of Møn Photo: Tage Klee / Visit Sydsjælland & Møn

By bus: Lines 667, 678 and 663 run on Møn (vordingborg.dk; line 667 runs all year, lines 678 and 663 only from 29.03. to 31.10.2026), and line 660R runs from Vordingborg to Stege. Timetables and stops in Keldby are on rejseplanen.dk.

By bike: The tour on the page Panorama bike routes names Keldby as a stop, with a detour of 5 km to Keldbylille and the museum farm Museumsgården.

Sights

Medieval fresco of the Nativity in Keldby Church on Møn — Nativity fresco in Keldby Church Photo: Edelmauswaldgeist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Keldby Kirke

The church stands at Præstegårdsstræde 6. The chancel and nave were built in the first half of the 13th century from red monastery bricks, with a transverse late Gothic tower that, according to tradition, turned out lower than planned, and a small sacristy from around 1700. The two vaults in the nave were added around 1480 (lex.dk). The church is dedicated to St Andrew. That is very rare in Denmark and, according to the parish, probably goes back to Archbishop Andreas Suneson, who died in 1228.

The wall paintings

According to lex.dk the decoration comes from at least five periods, three of which are well preserved. The parish names these layers:

Around 1275, chancel: a picture frieze with the creation of the animals, the Fall, the shepherds in the field and the adoration of the Three Kings.
Around 1325, chancel arch wall and north wall: the large Last Judgement on the chancel arch wall. lex.dk stresses that here the Trinity appears instead of Christ as judge, which has no parallel in Denmark.
Around 1480, vaults: the paintings of the Elmelunde Master with the prayer of the rich and the poor man, the creation of Eve, a monkey with a mirror as a sign of vanity and the Christmas night in Bethlehem.

The dating of the youngest layer is not uniform: the parish says around 1480, while lex.dk gives 1500 to 1520 for the Elmelunde workshop. According to the English-language Wikipedia the paintings were discovered in 1883, restored in 1890 and in 1934 cleaned of soot deposits and later additions.

Altar, pulpit and other furnishings

The late Gothic altarpiece dates from the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century. In the central shrine stands St Andrew with his cross, surrounded by four scenes from his legend, and twelve figures stand on the side wings. The pulpit bears the year 1586. The Romanesque font is of granite.

The three churches of the Elmelunde Master

Paintings in three churches on Møn are attributed to the Elmelunde Master: Elmelunde, Fanefjord and Keldby (Wikipedia). Elmelunde is described on the page Elmelunde Kirke.

Eating and drinking

The restaurant in Møn Golf Resort – Hotel Præstekilde on Klintevej 116 serves a three-course dinner with a view over Stege Nor. Outside guests are welcome and book beforehand by phone (+45 55 86 87 88). Opening hours are on moengolfresort.dk. According to VisitDenmark, Keldby Camping Møn has a kiosk and a shop with groceries and fresh bread. More addresses for the whole island: Restaurants on Møn.

Where to stay

Keldby Camping Møn is at Pollerupvej 3, in the middle of Møn according to the operator, and open all year (as of October 2026). VisitDenmark lists room for more than 100 caravans and more than 20 cabins to rent, plus a playground, trampoline, mini golf and beach volleyball. Dogs are welcome and cost 10 DKK a day; the details of all the sites are on the page Camping on Møn.

Hotel Præstekilde has 46 rooms and 96 beds, the 18 golf holes begin directly behind the building, and dogs are allowed. The page Hotels on Møn compares it with the island's other hotels. Holiday homes across the island are shown on the page Holiday homes on Møn. All types at a glance: Accommodation on Møn.

Where to stay

Selected places to stay on Møn

Partner links: we earn a commission on bookings, the price does not change for you.

Selected by guest rating on Booking.com, as of 30 October 2026.

All places to stay on Møn

Practical

The church is open daily from 9 to 20, and the parish asks for quiet and respect, especially during services. If you want to combine the church with the chalk cliffs: the GeoCenter closes for winter from 31.10.2026 to 20.03.2027 (moensklint.dk), and the cliffs themselves are shown on the page Chalk cliffs of Møn. Hiking and cycling in the area are described on Hiking on Møn.

More places

Stege: main town with harbour and Mølleporten
Borre: village in the east, near the chalk cliffs
Klintholm Havn: harbour and marina on the south-east coast
Elmelunde Kirke: another church with paintings by the Elmelunde Master

Sources and last update

As of 30 October 2026

FAQ

Where is Keldby?

Keldby is in the middle of Møn, on the road from Stege to Møns Klint. From the church to the centre of Stege it is 4.7 km by road, about 6 minutes, and to the GeoCenter Møns Klint 15.4 km, about 18 minutes (OSRM, October 2026).

What is there to see in Keldby Kirke?

Wall paintings from several centuries. In the chancel the picture frieze dates from around 1275, on the chancel arch wall the Last Judgement from around 1325, and on the vaults the paintings of the Elmelunde Master from around 1480 (Keldby-Elmelunde parish). There is also a late Gothic altarpiece with St Andrew.

When is Keldby Kirke open?

According to the parish, daily from 9 to 20, with the door opening and closing automatically (as of October 2026). The parish gives no admission price. The church is a place of worship, and consideration matters especially during services.

Who was the Elmelunde Master?

An unknown painter or workshop, named after the church in Elmelunde. The paintings in the churches of Elmelunde, Fanefjord and Keldby are attributed to him. The parish dates the vault paintings in Keldby to around 1480, while lex.dk puts the work of the Elmelunde workshop in Keldby at 1500 to 1520.

Which churches on Møn have paintings by the Elmelunde Master?

Elmelunde, Fanefjord and Keldby (Wikipedia, Elmelunde Master). More about Elmelunde is on the page Elmelunde Kirke.

What does the place name Keldby mean?

According to the parish, Keldby means spring village. The settlement grew around the spring Præstekilden, next to which the church stands; its water was believed to have healing powers.

Where can you stay in Keldby?

At Keldby Camping Møn on Pollerupvej 3, which according to the operator is open all year, and at Møn Golf Resort – Hotel Præstekilde on Klintevej 116 with 46 rooms (operator website and VisitDenmark, as of October 2026).

How far is Keldby from Møns Klint?

15.4 km by road to the GeoCenter Møns Klint, about 18 minutes by car (OSRM, October 2026). The GeoCenter closes for winter from 31.10.2026 to 20.03.2027 (moensklint.dk).