Starrkärr Church ()is a church in Starrkärrs

socken Socken ( or ) is the name used for a part of a counties of Sweden, county in Sweden. In Denmark, similar areas are known as , in Norway or and in Finland or . A is a rural area formed around a church, typically in the Middle Ages. A socken ...

, Sweden, situated southeast of

Älvängen Älvängen (earlier ''Elfängen'') is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Ale Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 4,196 inhabitants in 2010. It is located some north of Gothenburg. Among the churches of Älvängen are ...

and northeast of the locality

Nödinge-Nol Nödinge-Nol is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Ale Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 9,822 inhabitants in 2010. Overview The town Nödinge-Nol was once three villages: Alafors, Nol, Sweden, Nol and Nödi ...

. It is part of the Starrkärr-Kilanda parish in the

Diocese of Gothenburg The Diocese of Gothenburg () is a diocese of the Church of Sweden. Since March 2018, the bishop has been Susanne Rappmann. The diocese includes the provinces of Bohuslän, Halland, and south-west parts of Västergötland. The episcopal see of the ...

. In the churchyard is also a smaller chapel, mostly used for funerals.

History

Three churches, each succeeding the other, have been situated in the same location.

13th century – 1721

The

Medieval 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 World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

church was probably built during the 13th century. The stone building consisted of a long

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 ...

and a small domed

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 ...

. The church had a roof made of

wood shingle Wood shingles are thin, tapered pieces of wood primarily used to cover roof shingle, roofs and walls of buildings to protect them from the weather. Historically roof shingle, shingles, also known as shakes, were split from straight grained, k ...

s and a separate bell tower. Among the few furnishings in the church was a

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...

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 ...

from the 13th century. The ceiling had paintings depicting the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. According to 17th-century vicar Kollinius, there were also paintings of "Munks and nuns kissing each other, which is offensive in a chuch". At the beginning of the 1700s, the church started becoming too small for the growing congregation. It was also in poor condition, but the economical situation during the time of the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

was such that a new church could not be built.

1721 – 1842

The construction of the new church started in 1721. Cheap solutions during the building soon resulted in faults in the structure being revealed. As early as 1728, much of the interior in the new church was infested with

dry rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of wood which give it strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resulted in a ...

. A decision to build a new church was made in 1765, since the old one was about to collapse. During an inspection in 1828, the members of the parish were advised to build yet another new church tower. This, being the present-day tower, was finished in 1832. After a series of renovations, the parish decided to make a more comprehensive renovation of the whole church, but were advised against this by a building inspector. He recommended that a new church should be built, only the tower was to be kept.

1842 –

The present-day church is built in a Neoclassical style. The latest renovation and conversion was done in 2000. The church interior was repainted, the floors were sanded and oiled, the choir was extended and an interior stair to the gallery was added. A play room and facilities for the church staff were also added.

Furnishings and architecture

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 ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style was made in 1682 and was remodeled in 1738. The angel hanging above the pulpit was donated to the church in 1703. The baptismal font made in 1960, by artist E. Sands was replaced in 2000, with a wooden copy of the original 13th-century font. The medieval font was donated to the

Swedish History Museum The Swedish History Museum () is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operates as a government agency and is tasked with preservi ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1868. The font is classified by the museum as having set the tone for the ''Starrkärrsskolan'' (the Starrkärr style). A similar baptismal can be found in Vallda Church in northern

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...

. Elements of the motifs on the font can also be found on the font in Stråvall Church in

Varberg Varberg () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg th ...

. The

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

has 14 stops and is made by the Magnusson Brothers in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

. An additional choir organ made by Västbo Orgelbyggeri, was added in 1969.

References

Bibliography

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External links

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A 360 tour of the Starrkärr Church interior
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starrkarr Church Churches in Västra Götaland County Churches completed in 1842 1842 establishments in Sweden Churches in the Diocese of Gothenburg Ale Municipality 19th-century establishments in Älvsborg County