Hejnum 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 in

Hejnum Hejnum is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Hejnum District, established on 1January 2016. Geography Hejnum is situated in the northe ...

on the 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 ...

, Sweden. The church lies in 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 ...

of 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 ...

History

The Romanesque tower is the oldest part of Hejnum Church. It originally formed part of a Romanesque church, but 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 replaced during the mid-13th century by the presently visible, more

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

parts. Remains of the original church were discovered during an excavation in 1914. A

runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see '' futhark'' vs ''runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were primarily used to represent a sound value (a ...

inscription above the western portal of the tower bears the inscription "Botvid master mason". The church remains largely unchanged since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and underwent a renovation in 1960 under the direction of architect Olle Karth (1905-1965). The church is the property of the Church of Sweden and part of the Diocese of Visby.

Architecture

The church consists of a nave, a more narrow choir, a

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

and the western tower. The tower has openings for the church bells supported by colonnettes and an octagonal spire. Several stone

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s, one portal and parts of a

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

from the original, Romanesque church have been incorporated into the façade of the presently visible church. The main portal of the church is unusually located on the north side of the church, since the church is located south of the road. The lancet-shaped windows, including the three slender windows in the east wall of the choir, are all original. The choir portal has decoration similar to that of Hellvi Church and has been attributed to a stonemason named Lavrans Botvidarsson. Internally, the church is decorated by murals; one set dating from circa 1250 and another, by the so-called

Master of the Passion of Christ The Passion Master () is the name used to refer to an anonymous fresco painter and his workshop, active on Gotland during the 15th century. Works in about fifty churches have been attributed to the artist. The style of the Master of the Passion of ...

(''Passionsmästaren''), from the 15th century. There are two baptismal font in the church; one from the 13th century, the other is baroque and from 17th century. A crucifix with a ring cross hangs in the triumphal arch and is dated to around 1250. The pulpit dates to 1704. The altarpiece was added in 1738.

References

External links

* {{Churches on Gotland Romanesque architecture in Sweden Gothic architecture in Sweden Churches in Gotland County Churches in the Diocese of Visby 13th-century churches in Sweden Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden Church frescos in Sweden

History

Architecture

References

Further reading

External links