Rö Church ( sv, Rö 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 ...

in Stockholm County, Sweden.

History

The first church on the site was probably a wooden church. It was replaced with the presently visible stone church during the second half of the 13th century, 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 ...

. Technical details indicate that the masons may have come from Gotland. The church received internal brick vaults circa 1475, decorated with frescos. The church was damaged by fire during the 16th or 17th century and in connection with the restoration, two rough

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es were added externally. The church suffered a period of neglect during the 17th and early 18th centuries but was renovated in 1747, when the

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 ...

was rebuilt.

Architecture

The church is a single-nave

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 ...

church built by roughly hewn stones and some details in brick. It retains much of its original medieval atmosphere despite later reconstructions. The interior is dominated by the decorated medieval brick vaults. The frescos date from the late 15th century and are made by an unknown artist in a style not represented in any other church nearby. They depict both traditional Christian imagery such as the Four Evangelists, 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 saints (including the Nordic saints Saint Olaf,

Saint Eric Eric IX, ( Swedish: ''Erik Jedvardsson; Erik den helige; Sankt Erik''; d. 18 May 1160) also called Eric the Holy, Saint Eric, and Eric the Lawgiver, was a Swedish king in the 12th century, 1156–1160. The ''Roman Martyrology'' of the Catholic ...

and Saint Bridget), but also a lively scene depicting the story of the grateful dead. The church also houses some noteworthy furnishings. A Romanesque Madonna, the so-called ''Rö Madonna'', is the most unusual. Dating from the end of the 12th century or early 13th, it most probably belonged to the first, wooden church. Its origins are unknown, and there are no stylistically comparable pieces of art in Sweden. It has been suggested that it may be an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

work of art. The church furthermore houses an additional three medieval wooden sculptures, of Saint Olaf, Saint Eric and

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

. 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 ...

is from the 15th century. Of later date is the unusual collection of church silver, including a unique set of bridal jewellery from the 18th century. The entrance to the church cemetery is an unusual combination of

lychgate A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style ch ...

and bell tower, erected in 1806-07. It houses two church bells, made in 1749 and 1791 respectively. There is also a burial chapel for the local

aristocratic family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...

Silverstolpe on the grounds.

References

External links

Official site (in Swedish)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ro Church Buildings and structures in Stockholm County 13th-century churches in Sweden Church frescos in Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Uppsala Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden