Rö Church
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Rö Church () is a medieval
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church in the Archdiocese of Uppsala in Stockholm County,
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.


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 Saint Olaf ( – 29 July 1030), also called Olaf the Holy, Olaf II, Olaf Haraldsson, and Olaf the Stout or "Large", was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the ...
. Technical details indicate that the masons may have come from
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. The church received internal
brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...
vaults circa 1475, decorated with
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
s. 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 (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
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 (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 ...
was rebuilt.


Architecture

The church is a single-nave Gothic 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
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, the
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and saints (including the Nordic saints Saint Olaf, Saint Eric and Saint Bridget), but also a lively scene depicting the story of the
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. The church also houses some noteworthy furnishings. A Romanesque
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, 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 work of art. The church furthermore houses an additional three medieval wooden sculptures, of Saint Olaf, Saint Eric and
Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...
. The triumphal cross 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 (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 ...
and
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
, 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 Silverstolpe on the grounds.


References


External links


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