Halla Church ( sv, Halla kyrka) is a medieval church in
Halla on the Swedish island
Gotland. It is part of the
Diocese of Visby
The Diocese of Visby ( sv, Visby stift) is a division of the Church of Sweden consisting of the island of Gotland. Its seat is Visby Cathedral located in the largest town on Gotland, Visby.
The Bishop of Visby is also responsible for the episc ...
.
History and architecture
The oldest part of Halla Church is the
Romanesque nave, dating from circa 1200. The tower is slightly later, while the disproportionately large
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
is from the middle of the 14th century, in
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 ...
style and replacing an older on the same spot. Scholars have concluded that there were plans to replace the whole church with a Gothic edifice, but the builders probably ran out of funds after constructing the choir.
The exterior of the church is thus a mix of Romanesque and Gothic. A few sculpted stones decorate the Romanesque nave. They were possibly made by the sculptor known as
Sigraf. Two fragmentary
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 are immured in the choir, one containing the phrase "...men from
Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...
killed...". The choir portal is decorated with sculptured
capitals.
Inside, the nave is dominated by a large painted ceiling, dating from 1697. In the middle of the painting is a depiction of the
Final Judgement
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
, and in circles in the corners
Saint Peter
) (Simeon, Simon)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire
, death_date = Between AD 64–68
, death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
, parents = John (or Jonah; Jona)
, occupat ...
and
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
. The choir walls are furthermore decorated with murals, quite worn. They depict
apostles and a number of saints, including
Saint Martin and
Saint George and the Dragon. The murals date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and some of them have been attributed to the
Master of the Passion of Christ
The Passion Master ( sv, Passionsmästaren) is the name used to refer to an anonymous fresco painter and his workshop, active on Gotland during the 15th century. Works in about fifty churches have been attributed to the artist. The style of the M ...
.
The church contains two medieval items of interest. It has 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 middle of the 15th century, probably made outside Gotland. The church also has a
baptismal font made by the sculptor
Hegvald. It has been described as one of the most interesting baptismal fonts on Gotland. Its
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
s depict the childhood of Christ but also other subjects.
Halla Church was renovated in 1965.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{Churches on Gotland
Romanesque architecture in Sweden
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