Frötuna Church ( sv, Frötuna kyrka) is a medieval

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 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 ...

close to

Norrtälje Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the largest towns in Roslagen. History Norrtälje’s early history dates back to the Iron Age. Around 225 ...

in Stockholm County, Sweden.

History and architecture

The oldest part of the church is from the late 12th century. The church was expanded during the 13th century and internal brick vaults were added in the 15th. The western part of the church was built as a defensive tower, to protect the congregation against raiders who came from across 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 ...

. A chapel was also added to the church during this time, which scholars believe may have been built for

Sten Sture the Elder Sten Sture the Elder ( sv, Sten Sture den äldre; 1440 – 14 December 1503) was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden from 1470–1497 and 1501–1503. As the leader of the victorious Swedish separatist forces against the royal unionist fo ...

. The statesman was for a time

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

and thus disallowed from being present in church, but not from a chapel. The

coat 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 ...

of Sten Sture the Elder and his wife

Ingeborg Tott Lady Ingeborg Åkesdotter Tott or 'Ingeborg Aagesdotter of the Thott' (Year of birth unknown –December 1507), in her lifetime called Ingeborg Åkesdotter or simply Fru Ingeborg (Lady Ingeborg), Biografiskt lexikon för Finland 1. Svenska tid ...

are depicted in the ceiling of the chapel. The church was originally dedicated to

Saint 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 Per ...

and during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

there was a local guild named after the Norwegian saint in the parish. During the 17th century a burial chapel was added to the south side of the church. It was commissioned by the Swedish nobleman Casper Otto Sperling, lord of nearby Rådmansö island and Ösbyholm manor. An external belfry was erected in 1812. Among the church furnishings, the

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 ...

and the baptismal font are from the 13th century. A medieval

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

wooden sculpture depicting the patron saint of the church, Saint Olaf, formerly belonged to the church but is today on display at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm; a copy is displayed in Frötuna Church. The

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 ...

dates from 1773 and was made by a carpenter from nearby

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frotuna Church Buildings and structures in Stockholm County 12th-century churches in Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Uppsala Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden