Tofta Church ( sv, Tofta kyrka) is a medieval church in
Tofta on the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
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 belongs to the
Church of Sweden and lies in the
Diocese of Visby.
History and architecture
The earliest church on this location was probably built during the end of the 12th century; of this first church however nothing remains. The oldest part of the presently visible church is the tower. The
nave and
choir both date from the middle of the 14th century. The church walls display fragments of medieval
murals that were found during a restoration in 1958-1959. A few medieval
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
windows are likewise preserved in the church.
Of the furnishings, 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). ...
is the oldest, dating from the 12th century and richly sculpted. It was probably made for the earliest church. The high altar has a
retable from the 14th century, probably made in
Lübeck. Two other wooden sculptures from the same century are also preserved in the church, one of the
Virgin Mary and one of
St. Olaf
Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title ''Rex Perpet ...
. An unusually well-preserved medieval bench also stands in the church. In the floor of the choir is a gravestone, made for a farmer and his son who were beaten to death in 1340. The
pews and 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 ...
date from the
Baroque era.
In 2004, an extremely well-preserved
mail coif was discovered in a room in the tower during cleaning of the church. Reputedly it is one of the most well-preserved mail coif ever found in Europe, second only to a similar one displayed at the
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...
. It may be connected to a civil war that was fought on the island in 1288. The mail coif is now displayed inside Tofta church.
Gallery
Inside of Church of Tofta, Gotland.jpg, Inside of the Tofta Church.
Tofta-Kyrka-Gotland-LH-RK.jpg, Interior of the church to the west.
Retablo da igrexa de Tofta 02.jpg,
Tofta 04.jpg,
Hjördis Petterson grave at Visby, Gotland.jpg, Actress Hjördis Petterson's grave.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{Churches on Gotland
Gothic architecture in Sweden
Churches in Gotland County
Churches in the Diocese of Visby
Church frescos in Sweden
Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden