Lau Church

The church of Lau ( Lau schwed. kyrka ) is one of the largest parish churches on the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Gotland. Most of it comes from the 13th century and combines stylistic elements of the Romanesque and Gothic.

Description

Dating from the first half of the 13th century three-nave Romanesque nave consists in an attached around the year 1300 about the same width, but higher Gothic chancel with vestry continued. The Gothic choir replaced the same set up with the nave or transept cruciform -like choir with chapels ( similar to that of St. Clement in Visby ), whose remains are still visible on the south gable of the present choir. The church has a roof turret instead of a tower.

The very large for a country church building with impressive acoustics, high arches, powerful bases and kapitellverzierten columns is speculatively linked to a function as a pilgrimage church or together with the Church of Vamlingbo as a particular church of the Dominican Order from Visby. The monks are said to have used for sermons to the rural population, the two churches. The church has five inputs, four of which are high, magnificent portals with an ornament from plants and figures. As the creator of the capital of the northern portal of the true also represented in Ala and Alskog master who the name "Globus" was in art history and is a pupil of Calcarius or Byzantios.

For historical cultural inventory of the church include:

  • The baptismal font dating from the late 12th century, probably comes from the Master Sighraf
  • The triumphal cross from the middle of the 13th century is one of the largest in Scandinavia.
  • The painted altarpiece dates from the 15th century
  • In the 15th century - to close after the style - in a workshop from the environment of Lübeck Rotgießers Johann Apengeter (he himself had in the 14th century) cast bell is now in the nave.
  • The medieval iron hanging chandelier

A few meters north of the church are the ruins of a Kastals (defense or watchtower ) from the 12th century, which was used after conversion as parsonage ( Prästgård ). Both north and south of the church are burial sites from the Iron Age.

Baptismal font from 1200

Lübeck altar

Wall painting

Romanesque art Gothic art Flèche Vamlingbo Church Ala Church Alskog Church
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