Sjonhem Church ( sv, Sjonhems kyrka) is a medieval church on the island of
Gotland, Sweden. It belongs to 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 the current church is the tower, which was built in the 13th century. Originally it was attached to a much smaller,
Romanesque church. 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 ...
and
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
was however torn down and replaced with the current structure during the middle of the 13th century. Inside,
church murals decorate the
vaults; these also date from the 13th century. The church also has
preserved medieval stained glass windows. A
crucifix
A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...
on the altar is somewhat later, dating from the 14th century. The
baptismal font is however considerably older, dating from the 12th century and thus older than the church itself. It was made by the stonemason known as
Hegvald. The church has been largely unaltered since 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 ...
; the greatest change occurred in 1818 when the
sacristy was built.
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{Churches on Gotland
Churches in Gotland County
Churches in the Diocese of Visby
Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden