Enåker Church ( sv, Enåkers kyrka) is a Lutheran church located a few kilometres north-east of Sala in 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 ...

in Uppsala County, Sweden.

History

The church dates from the 14th century. The oldest part of the presently visible structure is the nave. This first church probably had a wooden ceiling, but was vaulted in the 15th century. The vaults were 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 ...

only a little later, and again in the 16th century. In the 18th century the church was changed internally, when it received new furnishings (such as pews) and the frescos were covered with plaster. The style which came to dominate the church was a form of airy

neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

. The medieval church porch and vestry were also demolished during this century. By contrast, in the 19th century the church was again rather heavily reconstructed, this time in a

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. The entire exterior was remade in 1854–55. At this time the presently visible tower was also erected. Further interior redecorations of the church took place in 1890 (destroying most of the remaining medieval frescos) and in 1925, again in a medievalist style. A more delicate renovation was carried out in 1955, when the remaining fresco fragments were also uncovered. During renovation works carried out in 2013, several coins (including some from the Middle Ages) and some graves, including children's graves, were found under the church floor.

Architecture

The exterior of the church is characteristically neo-Gothic. The entrance is through the copper-clad and corbie stepped western tower. Inside, the nave is still dominated by its medieval vaults, some of which are decorated with fragmentary remains of frescos. Some of the frescos, depicting the

Veil of Veronica The Veil of Veronica, or (Latin for sweat-cloth), also known as the Vernicle and often called simply the Veronica, is a Christian relic consisting of a piece of cloth said to bear an image of the Holy Face of Jesus produced by other than human ...

, were made by the so-called

Tierp Tierp () is a locality and the seat of Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 6,143 inhabitants in 2018. Communications Tierp is connected to Uppsala and Gävle by commuter train Upptåget and the new (2007) section of highway E4 passe ...

group or master. There are also remaining frescos in the vault, so-called "vault men". The pews are reconstructions of pews from church dating from the 17th century, made during the 1955 renovation. Two decorative pyramids (17th century) adorn the front pews. Some medieval furnishings still survive as well: 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 from the 13th century (and thus probably older than the church), and there is a wooden statue of Saint Bridget of Sweden from the 15th century. 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 ...

from the 13th century, altered in the 15th century, also survive in the church, as do the medieval

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 ...

, although some of its figures have been lost. It is probably made by a Swedish craftsman and shows influences from northern German art. 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 1708, and the church was adorned with new

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 by artist

Julia Lüning Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g. ...

in 1955.

Gallery

Enåkers kyrka 0696 altare.jpg, Altar Enåkers kyrka 0727 altarskåp.jpg, Altarpiece Enåkers kyrka 0729 kor.jpg, Stained glass windows Enåkers kyrka 0724 triumfkrucifix kor.jpg, Triumphal cross Enåkers kyrka 0706 dopfunt.jpg, Baptismal font

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Enaker Church Buildings and structures in Stockholm County 14th-century churches in Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Uppsala Church frescos in Sweden Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden