Stehag Church ( sv, Stehags kyrka) is a medieval church in Stehag, Scania, Sweden. It belongs to the Church of Sweden. It contains Romanesque church murals with royal

donor portrait A donor portrait or votive portrait is a portrait in a larger painting or other work showing the person who commissioned and paid for the image, or a member of his, or (much more rarely) her, family. ''Donor portrait'' usually refers to the portr ...

History

The church in Stehag was built during the third quarter of the 12th century. Originally the church consisted of a nave, chancel and apse; parts of the original northern portal still survive. Some of the stones used to build the church contain mason's marks identical to some found in

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepi ...

, as well as the signature Johannes, so it has been assumed that the master mason of the church had worked at the construction site of the cathedral and was named Johannes. A tomb under the floor of the choir bears the name Jakob; it is probably the tomb of the builder of the church. In the 14th century, the chancel was enlarged and a church porch built in front of the southern entrance. In the 14th and 16th centuries, the earlier ceiling of the church was replaced with vaults. After the Middle Ages the nave was enlarged in 1727, and the windows replaced in 1778. A burial chapel for the Coyet family was built in 1803. In 1848 the church porch was transformed into the current squat tower, and in 1853 the church was enlarged to the north. Repairs and restorations have been carried out in 1911, 1968–69, 1985 and 1997.

Murals and furnishings

The choir walls contains Romanesque wall paintings depicting Mary, Christ and saints. There are also two

s of

Canute VI of Denmark Canute VI (; c. 1163 – 12 November 1202) was King of Denmark (1182–1202). Contemporary sources describe Canute as an earnest, strongly religious man. Background Canute VI was the eldest son of King Valdemar I and Sophia of Polotsk. H ...

and an archbishop, possibly Absalon. This may indicate that the church was commissioned by the archbishop. 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). ...

of the church is from the end of the 12th century and made by another artisan from the cathedral workshop in Lund, . The other furnishings are from the time after the Reformation. The altar has a decorated

antependium An ''antependium'' (from Latin ''ante-'' and ''pendēre'' "to hang before"; pl: ''antependia''), also known as a ''parament'' or ''hanging'', or, when speaking specifically of the hanging for the altar, an altar frontal (Latin: ''pallium altaris ...

from 1607. 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 ...

is also from the early 17th century. Some pews from 1574 displaying the

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

of the families to which they belonged are also preserved in the church. 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 ...

is from the middle of the 18th century.

References

External links

* {{Churches in Scania Churches in Skåne County Churches in the Diocese of Lund Church frescos in Sweden