Angarn Church ( sv, Angarns kyrka) is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church at Angarn in

Vallentuna Municipality Vallentuna Municipality (''Vallentuna kommun'') is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Vallentuna. The current municipality was established as a result of the municipal reform of 1971. Its ...

, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located close to Angarnsjöängen nature reserve. The church is associated with the

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 ...

of the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

History

Although Angarn Church probably dates from the 1280s, it lies in a cultural landscape with a much older history. Petroglyphs from 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 prin ...

, as well as several significantly later

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 d ...

s testify to the old traditions of the place. The church was built on a hill next to an inlet of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

(which has subsequently disappeared as a consequence of

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound ...

) and thus was strategically located, easy to reach by boat. The church lies in an enclosed cemetery. On the grounds there are several runestones, and one ( U 201 in Rundata) is also immured in the church. Of the runestones on the church grounds, one (U 203 in Rundata) was possibly made by the only known female runemaster,

Frögärd i Ösby 150px, U 194 in Väsby has been erroneously attributed to Frögärd. Frögärd Ulvsdotter i Ösby (11th century) was a Swedish Norse woman. She was according to a common misconception believed to be a Viking Age female runemaster. This notion is ...

Architecture

The exterior of the church is plain,

whitewash Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk calcium carbonate, (CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes used. ...

ed fieldstone, with a few details in brick. The form is a

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

, and it may be one of the oldest hall churches in Uppland. The church door is probably the original, medieval door, although the lock mechanism dates from the 18th century. The interior of the church is dominated by the barrel vaulted ceiling, a construction carried out during a major renovation of the church in 1795-96. Much of the rest of the interior of the church is also characterised by the architectural ideals of the late 18th century. Among the furnishings are the 13th century baptismal font made on Gotland and the Romanesque

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 ...

dating from the 12th century. The pulpit and

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

are both from the late 18th century; the neoclassical pulpit was carved by the royal ornament sculptor Petter Ljung (1743-1819) and the

pew A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirt ...

s are imitations of 18th century pews made in the 1940s. Among the rarest objects belonging to the church is a

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

, dating from the 16th century. The organ was set up in the church in 1849, but is probably built around the year 1800. The church has an external wooden bell tower constructed in 1661 containing two bells; the oldest probably from the early 14th century and the other dating from mid-18th century.

References

External links

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