Hofterup Church ( sv, Hofterups kyrka), medieval church in the province of

Skåne Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...

, Sweden. It belongs to the Diocese of Lund. It is one of the oldest and most well-preserved Romanesque churches in Scandinavia.

History and architecture

The church was built during the first quarter of the 11th century, originally consisting of an apse, choir and nave. Its design, with an apse almost as wide as the choir, suggest influences from England, probably conveyed via churches on Zealand and on Jutland. Original decorative details still remain, like the Romanesque semi-circular frieze on the apse and a sculpted plaque made of limestone from Saltholm immured above the entrance to the apse. The vaults of the choir and apse ceiling inside the church are also original. Furthermore, Hofterup Church contains preserved Romanesque

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

on the walls of the choir and the apse; these date from the late 12th century. They were probably made by the same artist that made the murals of Finja Church in Hässleholm Municipality. Hofterup Church is the oldest and best-preserved church of its kind (built with an apse) in

. The vaults of the nave date from the 15th century and are decorated with late-Gothic murals. The tower was built during the 13th century and made taller in 1851. The northern transept was built in 1845. The furnishings of the church date from the time after the Reformation. The richly decorated

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 1597 and contains 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 (as the province of Skåne didn't become part of Sweden before the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658), but the central oil painting (by Christian Holst) dates from 1754. 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 ...

dates from 1751 and the Medievalist

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 from 1890. The pews are from 1912 and designed by architect Theodor Wåhlin (1864-1948).

References

External links

Hofterups kyrka Official site
(in Swedish) {{Authority control Churches in Skåne County Churches in the Øresund Region Churches in the Diocese of Lund Romanesque architecture in Sweden