▁route ▁through ▁the ▁village . ▁Although ▁very ▁many ▁Rund ling e ▁of ▁today ▁have ▁retained ▁their ▁separ aten ess , ▁many ▁have ▁expanded ▁during ▁the ▁last ▁century ▁and ▁have ▁modern ▁houses ▁added , ▁typically ▁in ▁one ▁direction ▁away ▁from ▁the ▁original ▁round . ▁This ▁occasionally ▁leads ▁to ▁an ▁el ong ated ▁village ▁with ▁the ▁old ▁Rund ling ▁at ▁the ▁end . ▁ ▁External ▁location ▁of ▁churches ▁▁ ▁One ▁anom aly , ▁which ▁marks ▁out ▁these ▁villages ▁from ▁others ▁in ▁other ▁parts ▁of ▁Europe , ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁Rund ling ▁villages ▁virt ually ▁never ▁have ▁a ▁church ▁in ▁them . ▁There ▁are ▁churches , ▁even ▁quite ▁ancient ▁ones , ▁but ▁they ▁and ▁their ▁bur ial ▁grounds ▁are ▁almost ▁always ▁well ▁outside ▁the ▁Rund ling ▁itself . ▁This ▁could ▁have ▁come ▁about ▁because ▁the ▁Rund ling e ▁were ▁usually ▁built ▁only ▁just ▁above ▁the ▁water - table , ▁whereas ▁the ▁churches ▁needed ▁higher ▁ground ▁to ▁give ▁enough ▁depth ▁for ▁their ▁bur ial s . ▁It ▁could ▁also ▁be ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁each ▁village ▁being ▁too ▁small ▁to ▁maintain ▁a ▁church , ▁so ▁the ▁church ▁had ▁to ▁serve ▁several ▁villages . ▁However ▁most ▁research ers ▁believe ▁that ▁it ▁shows ▁that ▁Christian isation ▁came ▁late ▁to ▁the ▁villages , ▁after ▁their ▁basic ▁structure ▁had ▁been ▁created . ▁There ▁are ▁reports ▁by ▁the ▁church ▁authorities ▁of ▁ ▁practices ▁well ▁into ▁modern ▁times . ▁It ▁also ▁suggests ▁that , ▁even ▁where ▁it ▁had ▁been ▁possible ▁to ▁add ▁a ▁church ▁to ▁the ▁village ▁circle ▁( even ▁in ▁the ▁middle