Stenkyrka Church

The church belongs to the parish in Stenkyrka Stenkyrka on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is located in the village Stenkyrka 22 km north of Visby close to the west coast.

According to the Gutasaga this church was the first to be built in the northern part of Gotland. It was built by the wise as Lickajr wooden church. The church in its present form was built in stages in the 13th century. Choir, nave and steeple formed in this order.

The church is richly decorated with medieval paintings, of which the square painting of the arch between the chancel and nave from the mid-13th century, is the oldest. In the tower vault there are marble imitations of the late 13th century. Large parts of the original paintings have been lost. The centrally placed in the nave baptismal font was made by the master Majestatis in the 12th century. The cross of triumph of the church from the early 14th century, now hangs on the north wall in the nave, together with images of Mary and John, which are dated to the year 1702. The pews, which comes mainly from the Danish occupation, given their still existing door paintings in the form of landscape paintings by J. N. Weller in the years 1783-84. In the choir is the grave stone of Licnatus from Stenstu, who lived in the second half of the 12th century. It is the oldest datable grave stone on Gotland ( 1400 ).

The church was restored twice: in 1954-55 under the direction of architect Rolf Bergh and 1979-80 after a fire in the tower, which fell to arson and mainly caused smoke damage.

In one image stone that stands next to the church, a human sacrifice scene is shown.

Tower

Portal

Interior

Altar of sandstone of 1688

Paintings with the five wise virgins (18th century)

Baptismal font from the 12th century

Murals