Fjälkinge Church () is a medieval church in

Fjälkinge Fjälkinge is a locality situated in Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,690 inhabitants in 2010. The etymology of the name indicates that the name originally may have meant "steep hill". Fjälkinge Church is a well-preserv ...

, in the province of

Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, Sweden. Much of the church dates from the 12th century, with additions made later in the Middle Ages. It contains medieval murals which were discovered and restored in 1967. Fjälkinge Church belongs to the

Diocese of Lund The Diocese of Lund () is a diocese within the Church of Sweden which corresponds to the provinces of Blekinge and Skåne. There are 217 parishes within the diocese, the most significant number in any of the dioceses of the Church of Sweden. Th ...

History and architecture

The church was built during the 12th century and preceded by a wooden church built 1130 – 1140. The typically broad, Romanesque western tower, the

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 ...

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

all date from the construction period; the tower was built first and possibly as much as fifty years earlier than the rest of the church. The tower has been attributed to one of the master stonemasons working on the construction of Lund Cathedral, or possibly the master stonemason responsible for lading the construction at Färlöv Church. The layout of its ground floor suggest that it may have served as a private chapel for a local lord. The church has been rebuilt and expanded in stages. During the middle of the 13th century, the present vault of the choir was constructed. During the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

church porch A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way. The porch ...

es were probably constructed both in front of the northern and the southern entrances to the church; only the one in front of the southern entrance is preserved. A northern

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

was added in 1763, and a thorough restoration of the church carried out in 1832. On the cemetery at some distance from the church itself stands another medieval building, probably originally a residential building, which for a long time served as a

lychgate A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...

Murals

During a restoration of the church in 1967, medieval murals were discovered under layers of

whitewash Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...

on the vaults of the church. They were made 1475-1500 by an otherwise unknown artist, occasionally referred to as the ''Fjälkinge Master''. After their discovery, other murals in Skåne have been attributed to this workshop. Other sources however claim that they are by the painter Nils Håkansson, an artist who made the paintings in Vittskövle Church, among others. The paintings depict scenes from the Bible. On the western vault, the creation and the

fall of man The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God in Christianity, God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * ...

are depicted, while on the eastern vault the

Last Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

is depicted. The style of the pictures has been described as "naïve".

Furnishings

The oldest item in the church is the Romanesque

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

, dating from the 12th century and decorated with imaginary beasts. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

is from 1604, and the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

likewise dates from the beginning of the 17th century.

References

External links

*
Official site (in Swedish)
{{Churches in Scania Churches in Skåne County Churches in the Diocese of Lund Romanesque architecture in Sweden Church frescos in Sweden Kristianstad Municipality