Östra Hoby Church () is a medieval

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church built in the Romanesque style. Located 4 km east of Borrby in

Skåne County Skåne County ( ), sometimes referred to as Scania County or just Scania in English, is the southernmost Counties of Sweden, county, or , of Sweden, mostly corresponding to the traditional Provinces of Sweden, province of Scania. It borders th ...

in southern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, it belongs to the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund () is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Church of Sweden. Th ...

. The church is noted for its murals and for its sculpted

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

."Östra Hoby kyrka"
Svenska kyrkan. Retrieved 10 September 2013.

History and architecture

Built of

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

, the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

are the earliest parts of the church, dating from the early 12th century. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was added in the second half of the 12th century, possibly in connection with an early tower. The two arms of the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

were added much later in 1850."Östra Hoby kirke"
''Nordens kirker''. Retrieved 10 September 2013.

Interior

The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

(1654) has elements in both the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

styles. Its paintings depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

bears the date of 1651 but is probably older as it includes the arms of Queen

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

who died in 1619. It is said the pulpit was intended for

Trinity Church, Kristianstad Trinity Church () is a church (building), church building in Kristianstad, Sweden, built between 1617 and 1628 by Christian IV of Denmark. He had founded the city of Kristianstad in 1614 at a time when Scania was part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The ...

but was brought here after the ship transporting it was stranded. The font, sculpted with a figure of Christ enthroned, is the work of the 12th-century craftsman

Majestatis Majestatis (, ''The Master of Christ in Majesty'', usually shortened to Majestatis and sometimes referred to as the Tryde Master, fl. second half of the 12th century) was a Romanesque stone sculptor and the creator of several richly decorated bapt ...

, also known as the Tryde Master.

Murals

The church has murals from various periods. In the apse and on the east wall of the nave there are fragments of late Romanesque decorations from the second half of the 13th century. Immediately after completion of the ceiling vaults in the 15th century, their ribs and arches were decorated with ornaments. Remains of these can be seen in various places. Around 1460, the arches were decorated with vines by the Fjälkinge Workshop which probably also altered a mural of the Majestas in the apse to one of the Mercy Seat. Traces of the original Majestas rainbow can still be seen. The murals in the apse and on the vaults were improved and extended from 1500 to 1515 by the Åle Workshop which worked around

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

in Denmark. The same workshop probably also painted the paintings in the vestibule under the tower. The chancel vault contains paintings of the apostles by the Åle Workshop. The ribbons of text include remnants from the

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...

and the names of the apostles. On the chancel wall there are images of Anne and Mary with Jesus on her lap. Among the murals on the vaulting at the point where the transept crosses the nave, there are fragments of the story of Adam and Eve. The serpent in one of the scenes is shaped like the figure of a woman bearing an apple for Adam and Eve.

References

External links

* Churches in the Diocese of Lund Romanesque church buildings Gothic architecture in Sweden Churches in Skåne County Church frescos in Sweden Simrishamn Municipality {{Churches in Scania