Fardhem Church

The Church of Fardhem (Swedish Fardhems kyrka ) was after the Gutasaga one of the first to be built on the Swedish island of Gotland. However, it may not be the present church, but a previous building, which was probably built of wood. It is ( swedish församling ) Fardhem, 3.5 km north-west of Hemse, 42 km south of Visby and 12 km from the west coast in the parish.

Church building

The oldest part of the Romanesque church building is the end of the 12th century, built the choir with unsettled semicircular apse. Because the nave was built in 1200, during the massive church tower may have been built until the mid-13th century. The special feature of the church is that of the Gothic remodeling, the most other rural churches went through on the island, did not take place here. Only in 1872 was added, all designed according to the design of Axel Herman Hägg ( 1835-1921 ) sacristy.

The quite wide and bulging choir portal has remarkable iconographic only difficult to interpret reliefs. On the outer door frame are a meeting of Mary with Elizabeth, who (presumably as a symbol of evil ) shown Ascension of Alexander and a vertically asked Lion. On the inside there is a rider with cherished " Eidringen " in the hands of a representation, as it is otherwise known from Gotland picture stones. Among them, the Apostles Philip and James, against a bishop is shown with strange ancient Mitra, perhaps due to the influence of orthodox church on Gotland. A counterpart to this early and rather primitive executed reliefs are not available on Gotland.

The built in the 1850s in the ship windows were 1951/52, partially eliminated again. A smaller window above the choir portal was closed over a closed was reopened in the north wall of the nave. When you open this window traces were discovered by presumably originating from the 14th century medieval fresco painting. The ornamental paintings in the chancel arch were probably formed 1719.

Facility

From medieval baptismal font only the foot is obtained, which of the anonymous Master Semi- Byzantios (see Hamra ) was created in the second half of the 12th century. The font used today was carved late 17th century in Burgsvik. The pulpit with the monogram of King Fredrik I (1720-1751) was born in the 1720s. The dated 1743 number plate may have been manufactured by the cabinet-maker Johan Hernell. The altar decorations, a wooden crucifix, was created as part of the restoration of 1951/52. It is a copy of the triumphal cross in the church of Träkumla.