Fårö Church () is the main church on

Fårö Fårö () or in Gutnish is a Baltic Sea island just north of the island of Gotland, itself off mainland Sweden's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the county and it is a popular summer resort. It has its own language, Fårö ...

island in Sweden, in the

Diocese of Visby The Diocese of Visby () 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 episcopal oversight of ...

. Parts of the church were built in the 14th century, but much of the building dates from reconstructions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Fårö Church dates from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and parts of it were built during the 14th century. A possible date for its inauguration is 1324, though it may have been earlier. Almost the entire

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 tower are medieval, but the church has lost much of its original look through subsequent reconstructions. The easternmost part of the church was torn down during the 18th century at the latest, and the tower was made taller and received the present

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

in 1751. In 1761, windows were added in the northern wall. In 1858 the church attained its present cross-shaped form during another, even more thorough, reconstruction, during which the church entrance was moved from the southern façade to the tower. The church is the only medieval church on Gotland that has gone through such a radical reconstruction. Two renovations have been carried out during the 20th century. The first, in 1967–68, included the introduction of electricity and electrical heating. The latest renovation was carried out in 2000–01. The furnishings of the church also date from post-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

times with the exception of 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 ...

which was made in the 14th century. The pews and

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 ...

are from 1761, made by a local carpenter named Magnus Möller. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter 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 or sculpture, ...

, made of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

and adorned with a picture depicting the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

, dates from the reign of Charles XI. The

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

was originally made for Väddo Church in

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

but brought to Fårö Church in 1875. The most unusual items in the church are two paintings, dating from 1618 and 1767 respectively. They were both made in memory of

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

-hunters who during winter had found themselves isolated on drifting ice sheets, unable to return to land but against all odds eventually brought to safety again. The older of the two contains a depiction of the later ruined Visborg castle in

Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...

. In the church cemetery is the grave of film-maker

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

and his wife Ingrid von Rosen. They were buried there together in 2007. Bergman had chosen the spot himself. File:Fårö church inside 1.JPG, View of the interior towards the altar File:Gotland-Fårö-kyrka 06.jpg, The 1618 painting depicting the rescue of the seal hunters File:Gotland-Fårö-kyrka 07.jpg, The 1767 painting depicting the rescue of the seal hunters File:Grave of Ingmar Bergman, may 2008.jpg, The grave of Ingmar Bergman and Ingrid von Rosen Bergman

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faro Church Churches in Gotland County Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Visby