Skederid Church ( sv, Skederids kyrka) is a medieval church, which belongs to the

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 ...

Archdiocese of Uppsala The Archdiocese of Uppsala ( sv, Uppsala ärkestift) is one of the thirteen dioceses of the Church of Sweden and the only one having the status of an archdiocese. Lutheran archdiocese Uppsala is the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala. Th ...

. It lies just outside

Norrtälje Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the largest towns in Roslagen. History Norrtälje’s early history dates back to the Iron Age. Around 225 ...

in Stockholm County, Sweden. It was built by Birger Persson, father of

Saint Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – 23 July 1373) born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta ( sv, heliga Birgitta), was a mystic and a saint, and she was also the founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after t ...

, and it is probably the church where she was

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

History

The oldest parts of Skederid Church date from the end of the 13th century, and was built by

lawspeaker A lawspeaker or lawman (Swedish language, Swedish: ''lagman'', Old Swedish: ''laghmaþer'' or ''laghman'', Danish language, Danish: ''lovsigemand'', Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''lagmann'', Icelandic language, Icelandic: , Faroese language, ...

Birger Persson, a man closely connected to

King Birger of Sweden Birger (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Birger Magnusson''; 1280 – 31 May 1321) was King of Sweden from 1290 to 1318. Background Birger was the son of King Magnus III of Sweden and Hedwig of Holstein. He was hailed king of Sweden when he was four ...

and the father of Saint Bridget of Sweden. The area surrounding the church is rich in cultural heritage, having been the site of continuous population since at least the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

. A

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones da ...

is immured in the church. The church was originally built as a private church belonging to Birger Persson's farmstead. The original church was very small, the size of 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 ...

of the presently visible building, but still consciously built, displaying influences from French church building traditions. The church was ravaged by fire some time during the 14th century, and the original wooden ceiling destroyed. The young Saint Bridget had some of her earliest religious visions here. After she was proclaimed a saint in 1391, the church became a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site. In connection with this, the church was expanded and rebuilt. By the mid-15th century it acquired the size and form it still largely has. In 1748, the former choir was turned into a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

, and in 1880 the old vestry was demolished. The medieval gate entrance to the cemetery was transformed into a bell tower in 1775. A memorial stone dedicated to Saint Bridget was erected outside the church in 1930.

Architecture

The church is built of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

blocks, with some details in brick. The oldest parts of the church is the choir and vestry. A substantial enlargement of the church was carried out in the 15th century, when the present-day

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 interior

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

were constructed. The church was originally decorated with

frescos Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

but only fragments remain of these. The church has housed a number of medieval furnishings, most now in the

Swedish History Museum The Swedish History Museum ( sv, Historiska museet or Statens historiska museum) is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operat ...

, and possibly also relics (now lost) of Saint Bridget. A wooden sculpture depicting the same saint is still displayed in the church, while a

triumphal cross A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...

, a

processional cross A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to ...

and another wooden saint, all medieval, now are on displayed in the aforementioned museum. A number of carved wooden

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

s belonging to various aristocratic families adorn the walls of the church.

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skederid Church Buildings and structures in Stockholm County 13th-century churches in Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Uppsala Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden