The skyline of Visby, dominated by the ruined Sankta Karin church
There are nineteen known ruined churches on the Swedish island of Gotland,[1] twelve of which lie in Visby, the island's main town. Of these, ten lie within the medieval city walls.[2] Three additional church ruins in Visby are known through written sources, but today completely vanished.[3]
Gotland began to gradually abandon Norse religion and adopt Christianity during the 11th century.[3] While the earliest churches were wooden, construction of stone churches began during the 12th century. The church building period was fairly short; in the countryside stone churches were erected between the early 12th and mid-14th centuries,[3] while in Visby the last churches were inaugurated during the 15th century.[2]
Some of these churches have since fallen into ruin. Of the 94 medieval parish churches in the countryside, 91 are still in use. Three were abandoned following the Reformation, when parishes were merged, and some churches became superfluous.[3] There are in addition three chapel ruins, or ruins of small churches, in the countryside. There are also the ruins of two Cistercian abbeys, one in the countryside and one just outside the city wall of Visby.
Although the exact number of churches that existed in Visby during the Middle Ages is unknown, there were certainly more than in any other Swedish city, and at least twelve within the city walls.[2][4] Visby grew to become an important trading port during the Middle Ages, and most of the churches in the city were built during the 12th and 13th centuries.[2][4] The churches were not, as in the countryside, only parish churches. Some belonged to abbeys, almshouses or served groups of traders of a specific nationality, such as the Russian Church or present-day Visby Cathedral, which was originally a church used by German traders.[2][4]
Following the Black Death, the invasion of Gotland by Valdemar IV of Denmark and the Battle of Visby in 1361, and a general decrease in trade, Gotland entered a period of decline. From about 1361, building activity therefore dropped.[4] The inauguration of Sankta Karin in 1412 marks the end of church building activity in Visby.[2] When troops from Lübeck pillaged the city in 1525, and probably damaged several of the churches, the social and economic rationale for sustaining them had vanished.[2] With the advent of the Reformation soon afterwards, the religious rationale to sustain the upkeep of the many churches also permanently disappeared. All monasteries were abolished and all churches within the city walls except one (present-day Visby Cathedral) were abandoned and left to decay. During the following centuries, some church ruins were used as quarries. In 1805 the church ruins were protected by law and in 1863 the Swedish state for the first time allocated money for their conservation.[2]
Ardre Church Ruin, also known as the chapel of Gunfjaun, was built during the 14th century in the medieval marketplace. According to tradition, the church was built in memory of Gunfjaun, the son of a local chieftain named Hafder. It is doubtful whether the church building ever was completed.[5]
Bara Church Ruin seems to have been abandoned already in the 16th century. In 1588 the local population demanded that it should be re-opened and repaired. The parish was however merged with that of Hörsne Church and Bara Church left to decay. The church was built in the 13th century and shares some characteristics with Anga Church.[2]
Ellinghem Church Ruin consists of the remains of a 13th-century church. The medieval altar has been preserved in place, and in 1923–24 the remains of the baptismal font were found during an archaeological excavation of the church. It is not known when the church was abandoned, but this probably happened at the beginning of the 17th century.[2][6]
Gann Church Ruin is a well-preserved ruin of a church probably abandoned during the 16th century. The choir and nave of the ruined church date from the middle of the 13th century, while the tower was added slightly later (late 13th century).[2] The remains were renovated in 1924.[7]
The ruins of the church dedicated to the Holy Spirit are one of the most unusual of the church ruins in Visby. They consists of an octagonal two-storeyed nave and a protruding choir. The church was erected during the 13th century. According to one theory, the church was built for Bishop Albert of Riga, who is known to have been on Gotland in the early 13th century to gather crusaders and missionaries to go with him to Livonia. The church became the almshouse of Visby in 1532, but by the early 17th century was apparently in a ruinous state and used as a barn.[8]
Roma Abbey (Swedish: Roma kloster, Latin: Sancta Maria de Gutnalia) was a Cistercian abbey for monks founded in 1164.[2] It lay on land close to the traditional location of the thing of all Gotland.[3] The abbey was dissolved during the Reformation and its property and buildings confiscated by the (at the time Danish) Crown circa 1531. Even in its ruined state the abbey can be appreciated as a typical representative of Cistercian architecture.[2]
No visible remains exist above ground of the so-called Russian Church. Archaeological excavations carried out in 1971 revealed the foundations of a small church under the floor of a house on Södra kyrkogatan street. It may have been one of possibly two churches for Russian traders in Visby during the Middle Ages.[8]
The church of Saint Catherine was the church of a Franciscan convent. The convent was founded in 1233 and a first construction period took place c. 1235–1250. During the early 14th century reconstruction work on the church began, and was not finished until 1412, when the church was re-inaugurated. The abbey was disbanded during the 1520s, and the buildings were for a short while used as an almshouse before being completely abandoned.[8][9]
The church dedicated to Saint Clement was probably erected during the middle of the 13th century,[8][10] but its history remains opaque. It was probably preceded by a smaller, 12th-century church. In its present state, it is still considered a typical representative of 13th-century Visby churches.[8]
The church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity but called Drotten after an old Norse word meaning Lord or King, i.e. referring to God. It is similar to Sankt Clemens but smaller and probably older. It seems to have been constructed mainly during the 13th and 14th centuries.[8]
The church of Saint Nicholas was the abbey church of a Dominican abbey, founded before 1230. Its most famous prior was Petrus de Dacia. The church is possibly older than the abbey; the monks may have acquired an already existing church, or one under construction. Enlargement and reconstruction works were carried out until the late 14th century. The church and abbey were probably destroyed by troops from Lübeck in 1525.[8]
This small church or chapel was dedicated to Saint Gertrude of Nivelles. It is the smallest of the former churches in Visby. An excavation carried out in 1935 determined that it dates from the second half of the 15th century.[8]
The church was dedicated to Saint George and lies about 300 metres (980ft) outside the city walls. It was originally tied to an almshouse for lepers nearby. The church is lacking in decorative elements and has therefore been difficult to date.[8] The choir and nave probably date from different periods. The choir is the oldest, perhaps from the late 12th or early 13th century, and the nave may date from the 13th century.[11] The almshouse was shut down in 1542,[8] but the cemetery continued to be used occasionally, e.g. during an outbreak of plague in 1711–12 and following an outbreak of cholera in the 1850s.[11]
The patron saint of the church was Saint Lawrence. Construction of the church began during the second quarter of the 13th century. It was built by local stonemasons but in an unusual, cross-shaped form. Inspiration for this form probably came from Byzantine architecture and may have reached Gotland following the siege of Constantinople in 1204.[8]
The churches of Saint Peter and Saint Hans (the latter may refer to either John the Baptist or John the Evangelist) are joined together and form a single complex. The church dedicated to Saint Peter is the older, probably from the middle of the 12th century. It was successively rebuilt and enlarged. The history of Saint Hans is opaque, but it was built as a basilica. During excavations, two runestones and a picture stone have been found among the ruins, pointing to a possibly even older, pagan sacred site. Both churches have in later centuries been used as quarries for limestone.[8][12]
The ruins of the small church or chapel traditionally called the Church of Saint Olaf are quite small, the remains of the wall not reaching higher than c.0.6 metres (2.0ft). Adjacent to the church ruins lie the remains of a cemetery. Today the ruins lie within a nature reserve.[13][14]
Three walls of a medieval chapel dedicated to Saint Olaf have been incorporated into a 19th-century barn. North east of the church a memorial cross was erected in 1959.[15][16]
Solberga Abbey (Swedish: Solberga, Latin: Mons Solis) was a Cisterciannunnery, founded circa 1246. It was the only nunnery on Gotland. It remains unclear when the nuns abandoned the convent, but they did so at latest at the time of the Reformation.[17] Nearby a medieval cross marks the spot of the Battle of Visby, fought in 1361.[8]
Roma, also by proxy referred to as Romakloster, is a locality on the Swedish island of Gotland, with 936 inhabitants in 2014.
Lummelunda is a populated area, a socken, on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Lummelunda District, established on 1January 2016.
Bro Church is a medieval era Lutheran church at Bro on the Swedish island Gotland. Situated on what was possibly a pre-Christian sacred site, the presently visible church was built during the 13th century. Stylistically, its architecture shows a mix of Romanesque and Gothic elements. It still contains some medieval furnishings, including a baptismal font by Sigraf, and murals. The church belongs to the Väskinde parish in the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.
Fröjel Church is a medieval church in Fröjel on the Swedish island of Gotland. Fröjel Church may have been built to serve not only as a church, but also as a fortification. Stylistically, it is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and contains murals from the early 14th century. It is associated with the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.
Gothem Church is a medieval church in Gothem on the Swedish island of Gotland. Gothic in style, it has remained largely unaltered since the 14th century. It lies in the Diocese of Visby.
Gammelgarn Church is a medieval church in Gammelgarn on the Swedish island of Gotland. The largely Gothic church stands next to an older defensive tower. The church's main portal is richly decorated with medieval sculpture, and the interior contains an altarpiece from the 14th century of high craftsmanship. The church is in the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.
Alskog Church is a medieval church in Alskog on the Swedish island of Gotland. The church in its entirety dates from the 13th century, with the last additions probably being made c. 1300. A few alterations are of later date. It contains several medieval furnishings, as well as some medieval stained glass windows. Alskog Church belongs to the Church of Sweden and lies in the Diocese of Visby.
Ardre Church is a medieval church in Ardre on the Swedish island of Gotland. It was built during the 13th century, but the interior re-decorated in 1900–1902 after plans by artist Axel Haig. Several of the furnishings of the church are medieval. The church is in the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.
Hemse Church is a medieval Lutheran church in Hemse on the island of Gotland. Preceded by the most well-preserved early stave church discovered in Sweden, the current church dates mainly from the 13th century. It contains sets of medieval murals as well as some medieval furnishings. It is part of the Diocese of Visby.
Etelmhem Church is a medieval church on the Swedish island of Gotland. The largely Gothic church contains medieval murals and a 12th-century baptismal font by the sculptor Hegvald. The church is used by the Church of Sweden and part of Diocese of Visby.
Gann Church ruin is the ruin of an abandoned church (ödekyrka) in Lärbro socken on the Swedish island of Gotland. The stone church was built in the 13th century and presumed abandoned in the 16th century.
Eksta Church is a medieval church in Eksta on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Diocese of Visby. The church underwent substantial changes during a restoration in 1838.
Follingbo Church is a medieval church in Follingbo on the Swedish island of Gotland. Its Romanesque nave and tower are noteworthy for the professionalism with which they were built. It lies in the Diocese of Visby and is used of the Church of Sweden.
Linde Church is a medieval church on the Swedish island of Gotland. The church was built between the 12th and the early 13th century and is Romanesque in style. I lies in the Diocese of Visby.
Hellvi Church is a medieval church in Hellvi on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is used by the Church of Sweden and lies in the Diocese of Visby.
Levide Church is a medieval church on the Swedish island of Gotland. It lies in the Diocese of Visby.
När Church is a medieval church on the Swedish island Gotland. It belongs to the Church of Sweden and lies in the Diocese of Visby.
Ardre is a populated area, a socken, on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Ardre District, established on 1January 2016. It is most noted for the Viking Ardre image stones found under the floor boards of the Ardre Church.
Boge is a populated area, a socken, on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Boge District, established on 1January 2016.
1 2 3 4 Ulfsdotter, Linnea (ed.). "ÖDEKYRKOR – Gotland"[Church ruins – Gotland]. www.landskapsarv.se (in Swedish). Landskapsarv. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
Wienberg, Jes (2004). "Medieval Gotland: churches, chronologies and crusades". The European Frontier: Clashes and Compromises in the Middle Ages: International Symposium of the Culture Clash or Compromise (CCC) Project and the Department of Archaeology, Lund University, Held in Lund October 13–15, 2000: 285–298: tab. ISBN9789122020721.
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