Ekeby Church ( sv, Ekeby kyrka) is a medieval church in Ekeby on the Swedish island of Gotland. The oldest parts date from the 12th century, and the church has been little altered since the end of the 13th century. Its interior is richly decorated with medieval murals. It belongs to 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 ...

and lies in the

Diocese of Visby The Diocese of Visby ( sv, Visby stift) 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 episc ...

History and architecture

The church is constructed of limestone. The oldest part of Ekeby Church is the tower, dating from the end of the 12th century and Romanesque in style. 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) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

are circa one century younger and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

in style. At the end of the 13th century, the tower was also heightened to its present height. MThe two southern portals are richly decorated with sculptures. These were originally painted, and fragments of colour survive. Inside, the church is profusely decorated with medieval murals. The nave has murals from the 13th, 14th and 18th century, and the choir from the early 19th century in the form of blue ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' draperies. Among the other murals, the large paintings depicting the

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

s are the oldest, from the end of the 13th century. Under them are paintings done by the

Master of the Passion of Christ The Passion Master ( sv, Passionsmästaren) 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 M ...

depicting, on the northern wall, the

Passion of Christ In Christianity, the Passion (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.) is the short final period in the life of Jesus Christ. Depending on one's views, the "Passion" m ...

and, on the southern, the childhood of Jesus. During a renovation in 2004, further murals were discovered. Originally, all the windows had stained glass panes, but today only a few original remain. Three conserved windows with glass paintings are from the end of the 13th century. An unusual niche in the choir, probably designed as a storage for the bread and wine from the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

, retains remarkably well-preserved paintings from the end of the 13th century. Among the furnishings, the accomplished Romanesque

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 ...

deserves mention. It is from the end of the 12th century. The

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

baptismal font is also an unusual fine piece, from approximately the same time. Scholars believe that it may have been made by either Master Majestatis or Hegvald. The Church was restored in 1942–1943, under the direction of architect Olle Karth (1905–1965). A restoration of the exterior was also carried out in 1971-1972. It is associated with the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{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 12th-century churches in Sweden Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden

History and architecture

References

Further reading

External links