Hemse Church

The Church of Hemse is a 13th century privy, predominantly Romanesque parish church, the church community (Swedish Församling ) Alva, Hemse och Rone församling heard. It is located in Hemse in the interior of the Swedish island of Gotland, 45 km south of Visby.

Church building

This church was a stave church from the first half of the 12th century as a precursor, which is now in the state historical museum in Stockholm reconstructed. During the restoration in 1896 to entdäckte wall planks of wooden church in today's church ground.

Today's medieval church consists of a nave and a narrower choir apse in the east, built of sandstone, and one built of limestone steeple in the west. The nave and the chancel date from the early 13th century, while the tower in the 13th century joined them later. The vestry on the north side of the chancel is of 1896. The facades of the church are white plastered with Eckketten that are carved out of limestone. The nave has a tiled pitched roof, while the apse has a domed roof. The tower has round-arched, columnar ornate sound holes and is crowned by an octagonal spire. Of the three portals of the church, the choir portal as well as the northern and southern tower portal, is the southern tower portal most handsome and forms the main entrance. This came with a modernization of the Church in 1300 around this, as you probably also postponed the original southern entrance to the long home on the north side of the tower, built the church vault and the tower received its west window. the window openings are the result of enlargements in the middle of the 19th century. The single nave is covered by two tent roof inside. A narrow, pointed arch triumphal arch leads to the choir. The tower arch is significantly larger. The tower room ( Läutekammer ) and the choir are each covered with its own tent roof.

Murals

During the restoration of 1962-1963, the architect Olle Karth was in its primitive form highlight the medieval paintings of the church. The images are one of the many example of medieval wall paintings on Gotland.

Interior decoration

• The triumphal cross dates from the late 12th century.
• The font has a bowl in the Gothic style in the 14th century. His foot is from the later part of the 12th century and is attributed Hegvalds workshop.
• In the tower of a church bell hangs the dates from the early 15th century.
• The altar of sandstone was donated in 1699.
• The pulpit is of in 1768.

• The organ was built in 1963 by the company Frobenius Orgelbyggeri from Copenhagen. The previous organ was built in 1916 by Åkerman & Lund Orgelbyggeri from Stockholm. The abrasive loading instrument has 13 stops on two manuals and pedal. The tracker action are mechanical.

• Couplers: II / I, I / P, II / P