Gammelgarn Church

The Church of Gammelgarn (Swedish Gammelgarn kyrka ) is a country church on Gotland in the parish Gammelgarn the parish ( swedish församling ) Östergarn. It lies on the east coast, 40 km south-east of Visby and 4 km southwest of Katthammarsvik.

Church building

The church and cemetery are surrounded by a dry stone wall with a broad Gothic entrance gate on the west side. The church is built of limestone and consists of a rectangular nave, a narrower, just a concluding chorus in the east, a little narrower in the west porch and a vestry in the north. In the West, a covered with shingles bell tower built in 1755 in the form of ridge turret. Choir and nave were built in the 14th century, High Gothic style; the western part, with the exception of the ridge turret, comes from the original Romanesque church.

The Kapitellband of particularly valuable south portal is richly decorated with sculptures, which were created by Fabulator and represent biblical themes of Genesis. At the top of the portal are two sculptures in head shape, some of them dating from the Romanesque period. Today's choir Portal was the southern portal of the Romanesque church and comes from the master Egypticus. The north side has a portal that is located at the height of the ridge turret. Near the church is a well-preserved Kastal from the 12th century.

The inside is a high- Gothic church. A slim central column supports four high cross vaults. The nave is connected with the choir and the porch by wide pointed arches. In the choir is a valuable altar. There are Kalkmalereinen that are attributed to the " Master Passion " On the north wall. In the bottom of the choir is a grave stone with runic inscription is let, reminiscent of a woman named Hallvi. On the left is a medieval baptismal font and a pulpit from the right end of the 17th century.

History

From the oldest church on this site no more residues are left; but probably a small wooden church was built here in the late 11th century or early 12th century. In addition, a fortified tower ( Kastal ) was built of stone in the last quarter of the 12th century. In the first quarter of the 13th century, the building of a Romanesque church made ​​of cut limestone was started. First, a short nave and a narrower, probably just completed choir were built. The building was then continued with a nave with four-part vault in early Gothic style.

In the second quarter of the 14th century, they began to build a new, larger church. First, a new choir and a sacristy with perhaps the eastern part of the present nave and its southern windows were built. In the next phase of construction of the eastern part of the old nave was demolished with the four vaults and the central column. Finally, the new, larger nave was completed. The lobby in the West is still a residue of the Romanesque church. The south porch was carried out by a stonemason and sculptor, who worked on Gotland in the first half of the 14th century and is named after a Vorschlang the art historian Johnny Roosval " Egypticus ". In Kapitellband the portal he shows Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Fall, the Expulsion from Paradise, Adam and Eve when working, Cain's murder of Abel and the Ark of Noah. On the north wall of the nave in the middle of the 15th century created the "Passion Master " a series of murals. In the late Middle Ages were these, and also the cross vault, damaged by fire.

Towards the end of the 17th century the church was a pulpit, which was probably created by master carpenter Jochim Sterling from Visby. In the 17th and 18th century decorations were created in black around the windows and vaulted ceiling. In 1752 the choir roof was lowered, and in 1755 the walls were built in the western part increased and the west of the strong, shingle- covered roof skylights. In the 1760s a tower room was set up, in 1768, painted by Magnus Möller, as well as the pews, the choir bench and a screen in the church. In the southern nave wall and the east wall of the choir narrow window openings were enlarged three.

From 1956 to 1958 extensive restoration by the architect Erik Fant and Olle Karth was performed. Among other things, the central pillar of the church and the finless cross vaults have been restored. Also a fragment of the sequence of murals from the 15th century was exposed, while the square paintings and the painted vault ribs were covered up to the 18th century.

In November 2000 the church for a new interior renovation and restoration has been closed. The medieval Malereiframgente on the north wall were cleaned, and parts of the decoration from the 17th and 18th centuries were reconstructed; the rest of the wall parts were cleaned and whitewashed. Finally, the square paintings and the painted vault ribs from the 18th century were replaced. On the second day of Pentecost, 2001, the church was re-consecrated by the Bishop Björn Fjärstedt.

Equipment

• Font from the mid-13th century with a bowl from the 14th century
• Altar in the middle of the 14th century
• Pulpit of Jochim Sterling, Visby (approx. 1670-1690 )
• Dominion Bank of 1768

Organ

1965 built John Grönvall from Lilla Edet, the first pipe organ in the church, a five-part work with slider chests and mechanical action.

Disposal

Kastal

As with some churches along the coast of Gotland is also a free-standing guard and defense tower, called " Kastal ". The Tower of Gammelgarn was built in 1190 and extensively restored in 2006.

Gallery

Detail of the portal of the master Egypticus

Altar ( mid 14th century )

Hourglass on the pulpit to check the length of the sermon

Seamless cross vault ribs

Capital

Organ

Kastal