Fröjel Church ( sv, Fröjels kyrka) is a medieval church in Fröjel on the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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 ...

. Fröjel Church may have been built to serve not only as a church, but also as a fortification. Stylistically, it is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and contains murals from the early 14th century. It is associated with the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.

History and architecture

The church was probably built not only as a house of worship but also a place of refuge in times of danger or conflict. The location on a high point not far from the sea is fortress-like, and close to the church lies the ruins of a defensive tower, dating from the Middle Ages. The church was built close to a pre-Christian maze or Troy Town indicating an ancient site. The church was constructed of limestone. The oldest parts of the church itself, the nave, dates from the late 12th century. The tower is somewhat later, while the large choir is from circa 1300, and in

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 ...

style rather than the Romanesque of the rest of the church. The intention was probably that the whole church should be rebuilt in Gothic style but for some reason only the choir was rebuilt. The interior of the church displays several medieval murals, depicting

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

s, deer,

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

s and

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

s, as well as an angel and a bishop. The murals date from the early 14th century. The base of 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). ...

is made by the master sculptor Byzantios, while the upper part of the font is from the 14th century. There is also a large medieval triumphal cross in Fröjel church. Later additions to the inventory include 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 ...

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 from the 17th century. It is associated with the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.

References

External links

*
Official site (in Swedish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frojel church 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