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Hejde Church ( sv, Hejde 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 in Hejde on the 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 ...
It lies the Diocese of Visby.


History

The church tower and 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 ...
are the oldest parts of Hejde Church, dating from the middle of the 13th century. The
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 ...
is about a century later and replaced an earlier and smaller Romanesque choir. Plans to also enlarge the nave and tower were never executed. The
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...
dates from 1795. Renovation have been carried out in 1935-36 under the direction of architect Erik Fant (1889-1954). Additional renovation was undertaken during 1976 and 1985-86. The church is the property 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 ...
and lies the Diocese of Visby.


Architecture

The church has two decorated entrance portals on the south façade. Of these, the choir portal is considered one of the most peculiar on Gotland. The church tower is decorated with side galleries to the south and north, and has two openings for the church bells, each divided by colonnettes, on every side. The church roof is supported by
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic ...
s, which is unusual for churches on Gotland. The whitewashed church is covered by a pitched roof. inside, murals from the 13th and 14th century decorate the walls. In the windows,
medieval stained glass Medieval stained glass is the coloured and painted glass of medieval Europe from the 10th century to the 16th century. For much of this period stained glass windows were the major pictorial art form, particularly in northern France, Germany and ...
has been preserved (probably dating from the second half of the 14th century). The baptismal font is from the 12th century. The triumphal cross is dated to the 16th century.


References


Further reading

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External links

* {{Churches on Gotland Romanesque architecture in Sweden Gothic architecture in Sweden 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