Bollerup Church ( sv, Bollerups kyrka) is a medieval

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

church located some 7 km (4 mi) southwest of

Tomelilla Tomelilla () is a locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a local ...

in southern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, in the close vicinity of Bollerup Castle. It belongs to the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund ( sv, Lunds stift) 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 Chur ...

of the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

History and architecture

The church was originally dedicated to

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

. The west end of the church and its

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and ful ...

, both in limestone, were probably built in the 12th century at the same time as nearby Bollerup Castle. It is one of four surviving churches with

round towers Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

, the others being Blentarp, Hammarlunda and Hammarlöv. Unlike the church itself, the tower has a high socle. The original north and south doors no longer exist. In 1649, Ida Skeek til Bollerup built a burial chapel to the east for the Rantzau family. A

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

was added in 1869."Bollerup kirke"
''Nordens kirker''. Retrieved 2 September 2013.

Interior

The nave vaulting dates from the first half of the 15th century."Bollerups kyrka, 1100-tal."
''Svenska kyrkan''. Retrieved 2 September 2013. The magnificent

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject 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 o ...

and 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, access ...

, both in the auricular style, were probably donated by Ida Skeel when the burial chapel was added. The Romanesque limestone font (c. 1200) with a bowl decorated with arches might be the work of Stonemaster Mårten.

Murals

Discovered in 1955 by C.O. Svenson after being limewashed for centuries, the

murals 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 ...

were painted in 1476 when Barbara Brahe returned from Rome with King Christian I after an audience with

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

. She can be seen in the painting on the northeastern segment of the vault while her son Oluf Stigsen Krognos appears on the southwestern side. The inscription reads (translated): "In the year AD 1476 the honourable lady Barbara Brahe and her son Oluf Stigsen had this whole church restored, bells hung in the tower and the interior decorated and bought a new Bible and prayer book. Pray for us." The work of the unknown artist, possibly brought back from Italy by Barbara Brahe, is unlike other murals in the area. The murals also depict

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

seated on a rainbow, Mary,

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

with angels and the dead rising from the grave. Hell is shown with devils tormenting a variety of sinners including a king. In the Judgment of Solomon, Solomon sits on his throne with the child on the floor, a soldier preparing to cut the living child with his sword. Another scene show

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

welcoming the redeemed to his heavenly castle. There are also scenes of the Nativity.

References

Bibliography

* *Wenningsted-Torgard, Susanne (1990). ''Sankt Kristoffer I Bollerup kirke''. ICO, 1990, nr. 10106-1348.

External links