Läby Church ( sv, Läby 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 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 ...

Uppsala County Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. Prov ...

, Sweden. It is located on the main road between

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...

and Sala, and is the rural church closest to Uppsala city.

History and architecture

Although Läby Church certainly dates from 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 ...

, its history is not known in any detail. Its origins may have been a Romanesque church, and according to some sources the oldest part of the church are from the 13th century. The church has furthermore been partially reconstructed and expanded at later times, but as to the question of what was built when there seems to be no consensus. The tower roof lantern at least seems to have been built at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1890 the parish was merged with neighbouring Vänge parish, and the congregation moved to Vänge Church. Läby Church was abandoned and left in ruin. In the 1920s however the congregation decided to move back to its old church, and reconstruction works in the

National Romantic style The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the National Romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is often considered to be a form of Art Nouveau. The National Romantic style spread ...

were begun under the leadership of architect Birger Jonzon. Archbishop

Nathan Söderblom Lars Olof Jonathan Söderblom (; 15 January 1866 – 12 July 1931) was a Swedish clergyman. He was the Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala between 1914 and 1931, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize. He is commemorated in the Cale ...

was involved in bringing the old church back to life. The restored church was opened again in 1928. Furnishings which had been removed were returned and the church received a new decorated ceiling. The church is one of the smallest in the diocese. It is a simple

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 ...

with a medieval nave and sacristy. The construction material is fieldstone, and the roof is made of shake. Internally, the church is characterised by the undecorated walls, the flat ceiling and the curious pulpit, built in 1753 on top of a medieval altar and constructed by carpenter Magnus Granlund. The latter reflects a

pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

tradition within Lutheranism that places the oral sermon in the centre of the life of the church. 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 12th century originally from Läby Church is currently on display at the Swedish History Museum.

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laby Church Churches in Uppsala County Churches in the Diocese of Uppsala Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden