Fleringe Church ( sv, Fleringe kyrka) is a medieval church in
Fleringe 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 province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
. Although heavily damaged by fire in 1676, medieval mural fragments survive in the church, which also still has its medieval lychgate and preserved church stables. The church is associated with the
Diocese of Visby of the
Church of Sweden.
History and architecture
Fleringe Church is built of limestone and dates from the 13th century. The
nave and
choir are the oldest parts. Somewhat later during the same century the tower was added. The church has not been substantially altered since, but suffered damage in a heavy fire in 1676.
The church is located in a cemetery surrounded by a low wall in which a remaining medieval
lychgate still sits. Outside, the church stables still stand, which is uncommon. The façade of the church itself has decorated
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 ...
portals. Of these, the one in the tower is the most richly decorated.
Inside, nothing remains of the medieval furnishings as they were destroyed in the 1676 fire. The main supporting pillar has a base taken from another, ruined, medieval church (in Gann, Gotland). This was probably done because the former base likewise had been damaged by fire. A few fragments of murals also survive, probably executed 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 ...
(''Passionsmästaren''). The walls also have ornamental decoration from the late 16th century. The
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 ...
is from 1701, the pulpit from 1726 and the pews also from the 18th century. The
baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism.
Aspersion and affusion fonts
The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...
carries the
monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series o ...
of
Christian IV of Denmark and originally belonged to the church of
Visborg Castle.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{Churches on Gotland
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