Skörstorp Church (Swedish : Skörstorps kyrka) is a medieval round church in Västra Götaland County in Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Skara.
Swedish is a North Germanic language spoken natively by 9.6 million people, predominantly in Sweden, and in parts of Finland, where it has equal legal standing with Finnish. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to some extent with Danish, although the degree of mutual intelligibility is largely dependent on the dialect and accent of the speaker. Both Norwegian and Danish are generally easier for Swedish speakers to read than to listen to because of difference in accent and tone when speaking. Swedish is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era. It has the most speakers of the North Germanic languages.
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.
A round church is a special type of church construction, having a completely circular plan. There are many Nordic round churches in Sweden and Denmark and were popular church constructions in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries.
The church was built in the middle of the 12th century, and is the only remaining medieval round church in the Diocese of Skara. It derives its shape from originally being built to serve several different purposes; apart from a place of worship, it also served a defensive purpose, i.e. it was a fortified church. The church has been altered successively throughout the centuries. The church porch is not original though it may date from the Middle Ages. The large wooden spire was built in 1666, and a burial chapel for the Spens family was built in 1660. The burial chapel has served as the sacristy since 1810. Among the furnishings, the baptismal font is the oldest and dates from the 13th century. The altarpiece was donated to the church in 1748, while the pulpit was made in 1709. The church has two church bells, the larger of them was made in 1526. The vaults supporting the church ceiling were probably built at the end of the Middle Ages. [1] [2]
A fortified church is a church that is built to play a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements and embrasures. Others, such as the Ávila Cathedral were incorporated into the town wall. Monastic communities, such as Lérins Abbey, are often surrounded by a wall, and some churches, such as St Arbogast in Muttenz, Switzerland, have an outer wall as well. Churches with additional external defences such as curtain walls and wall towers are often referred to more specifically as fortress churches or Kirchenburgen.
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way.
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. In some countries, it is known as the vestry.
Solna Church is a so-called round church in Solna Municipality near Stockholm, Sweden. The church is located on the headland between Brunnsviken and Ulvsundasjön, at the southern end of the cemetery Norra begravningsplatsen. The oldest parts of the church are from the later 12th century, a Romanesque fortress church built in stone.
Gökhem Church is a medieval Lutheran church built in the Romanesque style. Located some 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Falköping in Västra Götaland County, Sweden, it belongs to the Diocese of Skara. One of Sweden's oldest stone churches, it is noted for its well-preserved 15th-century frescos, possibly the work of Master Amund.
Vaksala Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the Archdiocese of Uppsala in Uppsala, Sweden. The church is considered one of the most unusual in the province of Uppland.
Munsö Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the Diocese of Stockholm. Its site, Munsö, is a village and formerly an island in Ekerö Municipality, Sweden. Because of post-glacial rebound, this island in Lake Mälaren is now connected to the island Ekerö. Munsö Church lies not far from Väsby hage Nature Reserve. The round church at Munsö is one of a few so-called round churches in Sweden.
Bottnaryd Church is a historic church building in Bottnaryd, Sweden. It is located in Jönköping Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden. The church is situated next to the lake Gårdsjön.
Hammarlunda Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the province of Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund.
Stora Råby Church is a medieval Lutheran church outside Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund.
Hammarlöv Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the province of Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund.
Magra Church is a church in Alingsås, Västergötland, Sweden. The small church building belongs to the parish of Bjärke, in the Diocese of Skara. The church was built sometime in the Middle Ages, probably in the 12th century. The pulpit was made in 1650, and its figurines were made 1693. In 1963, a large detached section was added in the southeast.
Stora Mellby Church is a church in Stora Mellby, Alingsås Municipality, Västergötland, Sweden. It belongs to the parish of Bjärke, in the Diocese of Skara.
Rute Church is a medieval Lutheran church in Rute on the Swedish island Gotland, in the Baltic Sea. It belongs to the Diocese of Visby.
Sanda Church is a medieval Lutheran church on the island of Gotland, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Visby.
Sjonhem Church is a medieval Lutheran church on the island of Gotland, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Visby.
Bonderup Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the province of Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund.
Hardeberga Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the province of Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund.
Hagby Church is a medieval round church in Hagby, Kalmar County in Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Växjö.
Voxtorp Church is a medieval round church in Kalmar County in Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Växjö.
Ununge Church is a medieval church belonging to the Church of Sweden in the Diocese of Uppsala.
Biskopskulla Church is a medieval church in the Archdiocese of Uppsala in Uppsala County, Sweden.
Fulltofta Church is a medieval church in Fulltofta, in Hörby Municipality in the province of Skåne, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund. During the Middle Ages, the church was a local pilgrimage site for the veneration of Magnhild of Fulltofta. It contains a large number of medieval frescos, uncovered during a restoration of the church in the early 20th century.
Coordinates: 58°07′32″N13°43′55″E / 58.12556°N 13.73194°E
A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.