Sånga 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 on

Färingsö Färingsö or Svartsjölandet is an island in Sweden's Lake Mälaren. It covers an area of 82.02 km2. The island is a part of Ekerö Municipality Ekerö Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in the Provinces of Sweden ...

island, close to

Svartsjö Palace Svartsjö Palace (, "Black Lake Castle") is a Rococo palace situated in Svartsjö on the island of Färingsö in lake Mälaren. It lies just outside of Stockholm. History Royal residence The location of this palace has housed several royal bu ...

in the Diocese of Stockholm in Stockholm County, Sweden.

History and architecture

Although mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1308, the church evidently is much older, dating from the 1170s. It was expanded during the 14th and 15th centuries and transformed from a Romanesque church into a Gothic. Both externally and internally, the church retains much of its medieval appearance. The tall spire is from 1730 but replaced an earlier spire of the same form. The church's windows have been enlarged in phases, but no other major alterations have been made to the exterior of the church. Inside, the church is decorated with a large and rich set of

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s, dating from circa 1470. The motifs are a mix of Christian, religious pictures and humorous grotesques. Among the more unusual of the frescos are depictions of the fifteen signs that forebode the

Last Judgement The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

. Among the church furnishings, 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 ...

is an unusually richly carved

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 ...

piece, profusely decorated with

intarsia Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. The practice dates from before the seventh century AD. The technique inserts sections of wood (at times with contrasting ivory or bone, or mother-of-pearl) within the solid wood ...

. The

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 ...

, dating from the 12th century, is richly decorated, and the

triumphal cross A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...

(circa 1300) also merits special mention. The altarpiece is a work by Jordan Painter. A carved wooden

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

from 1584 is believed to contain the second oldest

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

Swedish art Swedish art refers to the visual arts produced in Sweden or by Swedish artists. Sweden has existed as a country for over 1,000 years, and for times before this, as well as many subsequent periods, Swedish art is usually considered as part of th ...

, a few years younger than the ''

Vädersolstavlan ; ) is an oil-on-panel painting depicting a halo display, an atmospheric optical phenomenon, observed over Stockholm on 20 April 1535. It is named after the sun dogs () appearing on the upper right part of the painting. While chiefly noted for ...

''.

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanga Church Churches in Stockholm County Church frescos in Sweden 12th-century churches in Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Stockholm (Church of Sweden) Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden Ekerö Municipality