Hablingbo Church () is a medieval church in Hablingbo on the Swedish island of

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

. It is one of the largest churches on Gotland, and dating largely from the 14th century, although the current church building was preceded by a

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...

. The stone portals of the church are comparatively richly decorated. It is used by the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

and part of the

Diocese of Visby The Diocese of Visby () is a division of the Church of Sweden consisting of the island of Gotland. Its seat is Visby Cathedral located in the largest town on Gotland, Visby. The Bishop of Visby is also responsible for the episcopal oversight of ...

History

The earliest church at the site was a

, built in the early 12th century at the latest. It was later replaced by a Romanesque stone church, the tower of which still survives in the present building. 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 ...

and

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

were completely rebuilt during the 14th century to their present Gothic look. Few alterations have been made since. Several of the medieval furnishings have been removed and placed in museums, however. 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, ...

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 ...

in style and dates from the 1600s, and the pews are

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

, dating from the 1890s.

Architecture

The church is one of the largest on Gotland. The nave has broad bays and high vaults and is unusually monumental. Typically for churches on the island, the choir lacks an

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 ' ...

. The church has three richly carved portals set in the facade. The oldest is on the northern side and is probably a remnant of the older, Romanesque church. The sculpted decor dates from the 12th century and is a work by the anonymous artist Majestatis. It includes, among other things, one of the first known depictions of the

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n art. The sculpted portal is considered one of the most interesting pieces of

Romanesque art Romanesque art is the art of Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic Art, Gothic style in the 12th century, or later depending on region. The preceding period is known as the Pre-Romanesque period. The term was invented by 1 ...

in present-day Sweden. The other portals are located on the south facade, and are later, Gothic pieces of sculpture. Especially the main portal displays a rich décor. The sculptures depict Christian themes, such as the life of Mary. The portals were probably made in the medieval workshop which is sometimes referred to as Egypticus. Inside, there are remains of

wall painting A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

s from the 15th century in the choir. On a wall in the tower, there is also a painted Troy Town; here is also a gravestone located which probably predates the stone church. It is a Christian gravestone, carved with

runes Runes are the Letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see ''#Futharks, futhark'' vs ''#Runic alphabets, runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were ...

Portals of Hablingbo church

File:Hablingbo-kyrka-Gotland-Portal-01.jpg, The north (Romanesque) portal File:HablingboKyrka-04.jpg, The main southern (Gothic) portal File:Hablingbo-kyrka-Gotland-Portal-02.jpg, The southern, choir (Gothic) portal

References

External links

* {{Churches on Gotland Romanesque architecture in Sweden Gothic architecture in Sweden Churches in Gotland County Churches in the Diocese of Visby Church frescos in Sweden Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden