Nordic round churches are a type of

round church A round church is a church construction with a completely circular plan. There are many Nordic round churches in Sweden and Denmark (notably the island of Bornholm); round churches were popular in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries ...

found in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

Function and architectural precedents

According to the usual interpretation, Nordic round churches were designed with defence in mind. Aside from their religious role, they also served as power symbols, storehouses and a safe place for community members to place their valuables during regional conflicts. Since stone buildings were still unusual in Scandinavia in the 12th century and there was not much experience of defending and attacking them, people in crisis areas often decided to build a single structure which combined the functions of a castle and a church, rather than two separate buildings. Even ordinary long churches were built such that the door could be barred from inside by very strong beams, which were inserted into deep holes on both sides of the door. Round churches also often had facilities which enabled the doors to be defended from above. In general, the round shape enabled defence, since it gave the defenders a better view of their surroundings and offered no blind spots for attackers to take advantage of. Research connects round churches with the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The Church of Vårdsberg, for instance, contains a series of niches whose arrangement clearly parallels the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This connection has a long history in Europe. Well-known structures which show similar influence from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre include the

Basilica of San Vitale The Basilica of San Vitale is a late antique church in Ravenna, Italy. The sixth-century church is an important surviving example of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture. It is one of eight structures in Ravenna inscribed on the UNE ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the c ...

, the

Haghia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, and the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne in

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...

. In addition to this, earlier round buildings in Europe, such as the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...

in Rome, were converted into church buildings. Archaeological investigations suggest the conclusion that a number of round churches were originally non-Christian sacred buildings converted into churches. Additionally, the round churches show strong German and West Slavic influence. German influence is most apparent in the round churches of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

, while the Swedish churches show more signs of West Slavic influence. Signs of this influence as far afield as the on

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

indicate an extraordinary cultural exchange at that time even over great distances.

Denmark

The best known surviving round churches of Denmark () are on the island of

. They were built in the twelfth century, but exact dates are not known. They have been modified repeatedly. Their significance lies in their fortress-like outer-walls with large buttresses, which bear the weight of a round barrel vault along with a central pillar. All the round churches of Bornholm, except for

Ny Kirke Ny Kirke (New Church) is a 12th-century round church located in the village of Nyker some 7 km from Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm. Built in the Romanesque style with two storeys, it contains frescos from various periods and a pulp ...

, are

fortified church A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures. Others, such as the Ávila Cathedra ...

es.Hermann Hinz: "Die ostskandinavischen Wehrkirchen"
In: ''Chateau Gaillard: études de Castellologie médiévale. Université de Caen. Centre de recherches archéologiques médievales'' pp. 165ff. The central pillar is often decorated with a painted frieze. Originally, the round churches had flat roofs with

battlements A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

(for defence). Their characteristic

conical roof A conical roof or cone roof is a cone-shaped roof that is circular at its base and terminates in a point. Distribution Conical roofs are frequently found on top of towers in medieval town fortifications and castles, where they may either si ...

s were first added in the late Middle Ages. The weight of these roofs rests on the outer walls, making strong external supports necessary, which are especially distinctive on the church of Østerlars. The first three churches in the list below have three stories, the Ny Kirke has two stories. The upper stories are only accessible by narrow passages and served the local people as a refuge against pirate raids.Hans Klüche, Bornholm, Goldstadt-Reiseführer, 1993.Pastor R. Christensen, St. Ols Kirche, 1997. The other three Danish round churches are located in

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

and on the islands of

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

and

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

. They are united by their lack of strengthened outer walls. They have vaulted roofs which are supported by four central pillars and are referred to as "Absalon Round churches". The name derives from the archbishop Absalon of Lund, a member of the Zealand noble and ecclesiastical family of Hvide. All three structures have the same floor plan, which derives from the former round church of Schlamersdorf in

Wagria WagriaArnold, Benjamin (1991). ''Princes and territories in medieval Germany'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, p. 156. . (german: Wagrien, ''Waierland'' or ''Wagerland'') is the northeastern part of Holstein in the German stat ...

. The former round church of Petersborg, north of Sorø in Zealand was also built on this model. ;Round churches in Denmark * Sankt Ols Kirke of Olsker - Bornholm *

Østerlars Church Østerlars Church (''Østerlars kirke'') is a historic building located just north of the village of Østerlars, south of Gudhjem on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. It is the largest and, possibly, the oldest of the island's four round churche ...

- Bornholm *

Nylars Church Nylars Church ( da, Nylars Kirke) is a 12th-century round church in the village of Nylars near Rønne in the south of the Danish island of Bornholm. Originally designed for a defensive role, the solid structure contains a series of 13th-century fr ...

- Bornholm *

Bjernede Church Bjernede Church () is a medieval era round church located near Sorø, Denmark. It is one of only seven remaining round churches in Denmark and the only one of its kind on the island of Zealand. History The present church was built in circa 1170 ...

* Thorsager Church - Jutland *

Horne Church Horne Church ( da, Horne Kirke) was established in the Late Middle Ages on the southwest part of the island of Funen, Denmark. This church, founded as a Catholic place of worship, is situated in the village of Horne. The church no longer serves ...

- Funen File:Sankt Ols ydre5.jpg, Saint Ols Church of Olsker,

File:Oesterlars Kirke Bornholm Denmark northside.jpg,

, Bornholm File:Nylars rundkirke- 2005.jpg,

, Bornholm File:Nykirke fra vest.jpg,

, Bornholm File:Bjernede Kirke.JPG,

File:Thorsager rundkirke.jpg, Thorsager Church,

File:Horne1.jpg,

Sweden

Only eight round churches () survive in Sweden. Ruins or foundations of another five exist some of which have been incorporated into subsequent buildings. These round churches are the oldest churches in Sweden and date to the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Some later churches in Sweden are modelled on the round church structure, such as Trinity Church in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swe ...

, as well as the

Skeppsholmen Church The Skeppsholmen Church ( sv, Skeppsholmskyrkan) is a former church on the islet of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, Sweden. History Named after its location, the church was built 1823-1849 to replace a minor wooden church on Blasieholmen destr ...

and the

Katarina Church Katarina kyrka (''Church of Catherine'') is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

. Interest in further archaeological investigation for churches in other sites has been aroused by the excavations of the ruins of Klosterstad. ;Round churches in Sweden (Rundkyrkorna) *

Bromma Church Bromma kyrka is a round church in the borough Bromma in Stockholm, Sweden. The oldest parts of the church were built in the later 12th century as a fortress church, and the church is among Stockholm's oldest buildings. Today it has seven parts: ...

Stockholm County Stockholm County ( sv, Stockholms län, link=no ) is a county or ''län'' (in Swedish) on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockho ...

Solna Church Solna Church ( sv, Solna kyrka) is a so-called round church in Solna Municipality near Stockholm, Sweden. It is part of Solna Parish in the Diocese of Stockholm (Church of Sweden), Diocese of Stockholm. The church is located on the headland betwee ...

- Stockholm County * Munsö Church - Stockholm County * Hagby Church -

Kalmar County Kalmar County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland. The counties are mainly administrative units. ...

* Voxtorp Church - Kalmar County * -

Östergötland County Östergötland County ( sv, Östergötlands län) is a county or ''län'' in southeastern Sweden. It has land borders with the counties of Kalmar to the southeast, Jönköping to the southwest, Örebro to the northwest, and Södermanland to t ...

* - Östergötland County * Valleberga Church -

Skåne County Skåne County ( sv, Skåne län, link=no ), sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the most southern county, or , of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Krono ...

* Skörstorp Church -

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

* - Skåne County * Church ruins of Agnestad - Västra Götaland County * - Östergötland County * Former - Västra Götaland County

Norway

The sole Norwegian round church ( no, rundkirke) lies in ruins at

Tønsberg Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...

, the oldest city in Norway. It was part of a Medieval cloister of the

Premonstratensians The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

. Its construction began in the second half of the twelfth century and was completed in 1191. It was consecrated to St Olaf. The choice of a round church as the church of a cloister is unique. In addition, its outer walls were the largest of any round church in Scandinavia.Website of the Premonstratensian Order with image archive
An explanation of this size could be the importance of the cult of St Olaf, which still continues. Only a few years after its consecration in March 1207, king

Erling Steinvegg Erling Magnusson Steinvegg or Erlingr Magnússon Steinveggr (died March 1207) was the candidate of the Bagler for the Norwegian throne from 1204 until his death. His candidacy resulted in the second Bagler War which lasted until 1208, when the quest ...

was buried in the church. In 1536, four years after the secularisation of the cloister, the church burnt down. Some parts were able to be rebuilt and were subsequently used as the liege lord's residence. ;Round churches in Norway *

St. Olav's Abbey, Tønsberg St. Olav's Abbey, Tønsberg ( no, Olavsklosteret i Tønsberg) was a Premonstratensian monastery, located in Tønsberg, Norway. History The Premonstratensian canons founded the monastery, dedicated to Saint Olav, in Tønsberg in the second half of ...

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered ...

county

References

Bibliography

* Ann Catherine Bonnier, Göran Hägg, Ingrid Sjöström: ''Svenska kyrkor. En historisk reseguide.'' Medströms bokförlag, Stockholm, 2008 . * Hugo F. Frölén: ''Nordens befästa rundkyrkor: en konst- och kulturhistorisk undersökning.'' Lars Frölén, Stockholm 1911 * Rikard Hedvall: "Kyrkorna i Klåstad." in ''Människors rum och människors möten: kulturhistoriska skisser''. Berit Wallenbergs stiftelse, Stockholm 2007. * Rikard Hedvall, Karin Lindeblad: ''Det medeltida Östergötland. En arkeologisk guidebok.'' Historiska Media, Lund 2007. * Rikard Hedvall, Helmer Gustavson: ''Rundkyrkan i Klosterstad - en presentation av ett pågående projekt.'
Fornvännen årgång 1996
(PDF; 1,1 MB). Digital Fornvännen, Riksantikvarieämbetet, Vitterhetsakademiens bibliotek, Stockholm, 2001 pp. 145–152. * Rikard Holmberg: "Ett skånskt spridningscentrum för bysantinska kulturimpulser." in
Fornvännen årgång 1970
' (PDF; 2,1 MB). Digital Fornvännen, Riksantikvarieämbetet, Vitterhetsakademiens bibliotek, Stockholm, 1970 pp. 120–135. * Hermann Hinz: "Die ostskandinavischen Wehrkirchen." In: ''Chateau Gaillard: études de Castellologie médiévale. Université de Caen. Centre de recherches archéologiques médievales'' 1983, . * Friedrich Laske: ''Die Rundkirchen auf Bornholm und ihr mittelalterlicher Bilderschmuck.'' 2005, {{ISBN, 3-9808983-8-5 (Reprint of the original edition of 1902) * Peter Eriksson Lindskog: ''Försök till en korrt beskrifning om Skara Stift.'' 5 Volumes, 1812–1816 (1985 Reprint). * Erik Lundberg: ''Östergötlands romanska landskyrkor.'' 1927 * Torsten Mårtensson: ''Borg och rundkyrka.'' Stockholm, 1936 * Jørgen Rasmussen: ''Thorsager Rundkirke - Gennem 800 År.'' Bog om kirkens historie og inventar. Thorsager menighedsråd, 1999 * Leif Törnquist: ''Svenska borgar och fästningar - En historisk reseguide.'' Värnamo, 2007 ! ! Round churches Vernacular architecture Lists of churches