Vänge Church ( sv, Vänge kyrka) is a medieval church in
Vänge
Vänge, previously known as Brunna, is a locality situated west of Uppsala in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that ...
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 ...
, Sweden. Its oldest parts date to circa 1200. It belongs to the
Diocese of Visby.
History and architecture
The
Romanesque church tower is the oldest part of the church. It was built circa 1200. Originally it was attached to a Romanesque church, the nave and choir of which however was replaced with the presently visible
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
parts at the end of the 13th century. 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 ...
is the only non-medieval part of the church; it was built in 1866. The exterior of the church is decorated with
Romanesque reliefs, re-used from the earlier church and incorporated into the Gothic structure. Inside, the choir retains traces of original
medieval murals.
Several of the church fittings are medieval. 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). ...
dates from the 12th century and was made by the sculptor
Hegvald Hegvald (also Hegwald, Hegwaldr, fl. c. 1175-1200) was a Romanesque stone sculptor of baptismal fonts, working on Gotland.
Works
The name of Hegvald is derived from a rune inscription on one of the baptismal fonts attributed to the sculptor, but t ...
; it is considered one of the artist's finest pieces. The church also houses a
triumphal cross from the same century. 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 medieval but was altered in the 17th century. Most of the other fittings, such as 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 later centuries.
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References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vange Church, Gotland
Churches in Gotland County
Churches in the Diocese of Visby
Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden