Bro Church, Gotland

The church of Bro is architecturally one of the most attractive country churches on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is close to the same place Bro 11 km northeast of Visby. She was a victim of the Church, especially for seafarers, and to have been built over an old holy well. In today's construction mingle Romanesque and Gothic elements. The wall decorations and furnishings from different eras illustrate the time change.

Church

From the oldest church in the prehistoric interesting in more ways than one place comes only the tower. By 1200, a Romanesque church with broken stone longhouse, Apsidenchor and church tower was built. An arched frieze, of which some fields were decorated with reliefs, ran around the eaves of the nave. Remnants can be found in the south wall of the Gothic nave. Middle of the 13th century, the present choir vestry was built with and towards the end of the century the nave nave.

Prayer chamber

A prayer chamber was built in the angle between the west wall of the nave and the tower. In the south wall bricked, or is placed in front of the remains of three Stones are ( a n from the 5th century BC). The small room that only through a so-called Hagioskop, a four matching shaped opening is connected with the church, will have been provided for people who are not allowed to participate with the rest of the congregation in worship (leprosy column). In the chamber there is a Vogelkapitell, which was originally an element in a double arch between the tower and nave.

The portals

The early Gothic choir Portal displays the Kapitellbändern created by Neoikonicus delicate tendrils and palmettes in bas-relief. The nave portal represents the High Gothic, in its formative Gotland way. The Kapitellfiguren left express scenes from the life of Jesus and the resurrection, and the kingdom of the dead again, right there are stylized plant motifs. At the sculptures and the tympanum you can still see traces of medieval painting. The wooden door with its ironwork dates from about the year 1300.

Remodeling

The church was painted in 1686. The medieval wall paintings in the choir and the nave vaults were repaired. Attached are new motifs and the signature of the Swedish King Charles XI. Some medieval paintings above the triumphal arch were whitewashed, but later re-exposed. In the nave and the choir friezes have been discovered by the so-called Passion masters from the 15th century. Exposed residues can be seen on the south wall of the choir.

Facility

The central motif of the altar-piece of sandstone is the sacrament. The 1723 Dating Canopy painted by Jöns Wulff pulpit bears the monogram of King Fredrik I.

Furnishings of cultural -historical reputation are:

  • Baptismal font of the Master Sighraf of about 1200
  • Triumphal Cross of about 1200
  • A low German inscribed bell of about 1500

Bildstein

One of the outstanding picture stones with three Wirbelradmotiven and the representation of a rowing boat is walled horizontally west of the south-west portal of the church. Its preserved length is 1.88 m. It is dated AD in the time between 400 and 600 AD.

Attractions in the immediate vicinity

  • Bro offerkälla (sacrificial source) with grinding grooves
  • Bro stenkalm, a large Roese; near the Bro Oikar ( ox ), two menhirs
  • Stones Bro Stainkällingar (stone women )
Architecture Romanesque art Gothic art Steeple Hagioscope Baldachin Frederick I of Sweden
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