Vä Church
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Vä Church (), sometimes also called Saint Mary's Church in Vä (''Mariakyrkan i Vä'') is a well-preserved Romanesque church in , in the southern Swedish province of
Scania 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 ...
. It belongs to the
Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...
and is a
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. It was built in the early 12th century, at a time when Scania was part of Denmark. The building was commissioned by a member of the Danish royal family, probably Queen
Margaret Fredkulla Margaret Fredkulla ( Swedish: ''Margareta Fredkulla''; Danish: ''Margrete Fredkulla''; Norwegian: ''Margrete Fredkolla''; 1080s – 4 November 1130) was a Swedish princess who became successively queen of Norway and Denmark by marriage to king ...
. The church originally consisted of a
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 ...
, a
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
with an
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 ' ...
and two western towers. Quite soon after being finished, it was donated to Premonstratensian monks who used it as the church of their monastery until 1213. It simultaneously functioned as the parish church of Vä. At the end of the
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 ...
, a third tower was built, and in 1593 the building was enlarged. At the beginning of the 19th century, the western towers were demolished. A major restoration was carried out in the 1960s. The church is one of the oldest stone churches in Sweden and shows several similarities with
Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral () is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepiscopal see of all ...
, built at approximately the same time. Although some of the original stone sculptures have been destroyed, some remain. The interior contains some of the oldest
church murals in Sweden Church murals or church wall paintings are mostly medieval paintings found in several Swedish churches. They usually adorn the vaults or walls of the buildings. In Swedish they are sometimes referred to as ''kalkmålningar'', literally "lime ...
. These decorate the chancel and the apse. In the chancel, the
barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
ceiling is decorated with figures carrying
speech scroll In art history, a speech scroll (also called a banderole or phylactery). is an illustrative device denoting speech, song, or other types of sound. Developed independently on two continents, the device was in use by artists within Mesoamerican cu ...
s of the Christian hymn
Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...
, a subject matter not found elsewhere among medieval murals in Sweden. The apse is dominated by a mural depicting
Christ in Majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory () is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership change ...
.


Location and surroundings

The church is located on a small hill south of a small brook. It is situated within its own cemetery. During the
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 ...
the town of , surrounding the church, was a locally important centre of trade and enjoyed
town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
. It was, like the rest of the province of Scania, part of Denmark until the
Treaty of Roskilde The Treaty of Roskilde was negotiated at Høje Taastrup Church and was concluded on 26 February ( OS) or 8 March 1658 ( NS) during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Karl X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish ci ...
in 1658. After having been pillaged by Swedish troops, the Danish King
Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...
decided to move the settlement to a more easily defended location. In 1614 Vä was degraded to the status of village, while most of the population moved to the newly founded city
Kristianstad Kristianstad ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 41,198 inhabitants in 2023. Since the 1990s, the city has gone from being a garrison town to a developed commercial city, ...
, approximately away.


History


Foundation and construction

Vä Church is one of the oldest stone churches in
Scania 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 ...
. Several letters of donation from the 12th century, preserved through later copies, show that the church was donated by the Danish
queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...
Sophia of Minsk Sophia of Minsk or Sophia of Polotsk (died 5 May 1198) was a Danish queen consort by marriage to King Valdemar I of Denmark, and a landgravine of Thuringia by marriage to Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Origin Sophia was the daughter of ...
and the king,
Valdemar I of Denmark Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...
, to Premonstratensian monks some time after its construction. Contrary to what was common practice at the time, the letters of donation mention her name together with that of the king. This may indicate that the church and its incomes were the personal inheritance of the queen, rather than the king. The church thus clearly belonged to the Danish royal family prior to the donation, but it is not known who commissioned the building and its age has been the matter of discussion. When it was renovated in the 1960s, a scrap of
parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...
was discovered in a lead box concealed in the medieval altar, bearing a date which has been interpreted as 1131. Archaeologists have assumed that this date refers to the dedication of the church. Among the preserved murals there are two
donor portrait A donor portrait or votive portrait is a portrait in a larger painting or other work showing the person who commissioned and paid for the image, or a member of his, or (much more rarely) her, family. ''Donor portrait'' usually refers to the portr ...
s of a king and a queen. Unusually, these depict the queen as the main donor of the church. Queen
Margaret Fredkulla Margaret Fredkulla ( Swedish: ''Margareta Fredkulla''; Danish: ''Margrete Fredkulla''; Norwegian: ''Margrete Fredkolla''; 1080s – 4 November 1130) was a Swedish princess who became successively queen of Norway and Denmark by marriage to king ...
died around 1130, and had family connections to the and the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
, which could explain the strong influences of
Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...
in the architecture of the building. There is also a faint inscription in
runes Runes are the Letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see ''#Futharks, futhark'' vs ''#Runic alphabets, runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were ...
in the chancel. Although difficult to interpret, it may contain the names of some close relatives to the queen. For these reasons it is assumed that the church was commissioned by Margaret Fredkulla. Earlier theories put forward King Canute V, King
Niels Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nikolaos, after Saint ...
or Queen Richeza as possible builders. It was originally dedicated to
Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
and probably built nearby a royal estate.


Further changes

The church originally consisted of a
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 ...
with a flat wooden roof, two western towers, a western entrance and a
barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
ed
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
with an
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 ' ...
. It was possibly built in two stages, and finished by the time it was donated to the Premonstratensians in the 1160s. It then served as the church of their monastery and simultaneously functioned as the parish church of the borough of Vä, probably during the entire Middle Ages. The Premonstratensians made few changes to the church. A southern entrance was created, the west entrance altered and, possibly, a
rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
installed. A fire ravaged the building in 1213, and after this the monks moved away to found a new monastery on the site of present-day
Bäckaskog Castle Bäckaskog Castle () in Kristianstad Municipality, Scania, southern Sweden, was originally a monastery built in the 13th century. It was transformed into a castle in the 16th century. The castle is located on the isthmus between Ivö Lake (Scania ...
. During the 13th century, the vaults were constructed, replacing the wooden ceiling of the nave, and the walls were made slightly higher and the
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
s steeper. A third tower, the only one still preserved, was built at the end of the Middle Ages to house the church bells. The church was extended towards the north in 1593. The windows, which were successively enlarged during several centuries, probably attained their current shape in 1781. In 1804 the two western towers were demolished, and the church was again damaged by fire in 1810. Several proposals to restore the by then rather dilapidated building were put forward during 19th century. The entire interior was
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 ...
ed, and in 1854 the walls and ceiling of the chancel were decorated with Neoclassical decorations. Plans for a thorough renovation were made in the 1920s but it was not until the 1960s that the church was restored and an
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
survey conducted.


Architecture

Vä Church was built around the same time as
Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral () is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepiscopal see of all ...
, which lies about from Vä, and the similarities between the two buildings have been pointed out frequently. The monumental aspect, high quality of the craftsmanship of the builders, and several stylistic features connect Vä Church with the cathedral in Lund. Notably the apse and the decorative elements, influenced by contemporary Lombardic architecture, are clearly similar to corresponding elements in Lund Cathedral.


Exterior

The earliest parts of the building are easily distinguished from the later additions, which are whitewashed. In contrast, the original parts of the building are constructed of finely cut
ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
s made of greyish
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
. The building seen today consists of a nave which incorporates the base of the former western towers, a chancel and an apse. The only remaining, late medieval tower is joined with the nave approximately halfway along its south facade. The extension from 1593 is two
bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
wide and extends from the nave to the north. The total length of the church is . The facade of the nave and chancel are decorated with
lesene A lesene, also called a pilaster strip, is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief vertical pillar on a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital. It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building ...
s at the corners, and corbel tables supporting the
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
at the height of the original walls; the top part of the nave walls are later and whitewashed. The apse is divided by four narrow columns, double corbel tables and a more marked cornice supporting the roof. Originally there were three portals leading into the church, of which the western one has been preserved relatively intact. The northern portal has vanished and the southern has been altered. It now connects the
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...
, located in the base of the tower, with the nave. The western portal still serves as the main entrance and is a round arched portal decorated with decorated
capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
. The southern capitals are decorated with plant ornaments and the northern with figurative sculptures. The southern portal, now only visible from inside the sacristy, has an equally rich sculptural decoration. From the northern portal nothing remains except the decorated tympanum, found during the renovation of the church in the 1960s. Its decoration is almost identical to sculptures found in Lund Cathedral. Four original sculpted stones, depicting beasts and religious symbols, are also incorporated in the eastern part of the facade. In 1945, it was discovered that the
weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...
on the roof was an
aquamanile In modern usage, an aquamanile (plural aquamanilia or simply aquamaniles) is a ewer or jug-type vessel in the form of one or more animal or human figures. It usually contained water for the washing of hands (''aqua'' + ''manos'') over a basin, w ...
in the form of a knight on horseback, dating from the Romanesque era, i.e. the construction period of the church. It is one of only two such aquamaniles known in Sweden. The aquamanile was subsequently restored and exhibited in the church. A simplified copy was made to replace it as a weather vane.


Interior

The best-preserved part of the interior is the eastern end, notably the chancel and the apse. The chancel is covered with an original barrel vault, and the apse by a
semi-dome In architecture, a semi-dome (or half-dome) is a half dome that covers a semi-circular area in a building. Architecture Semi-domes are a common feature of apses in Ancient Roman and traditional church architecture, and in mosques and iwans in Isla ...
. There are four capitals preserved in each corner of the chancel. They may have been intended to carry a
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
which was never built. The nave is dominated by the two central pillars carrying six rib vaults which were constructed in the 13th century. A large part of the north wall of the original nave has been demolished when the 1598 extension to the north was built, creating a shortened north
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 ...
. The nave is connected with the chancel through a wide, round arched
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
arch which is original. The west end of the church, the area surrounding the main entrance, originally also served as a base for the two towers which were demolished in the early 19th century. Above the main entrance there is a small room, which could have been a gallery once used by members of the royal family. From there they could participate in the celebration of
mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
without having to mingle with the congregation.


Murals

Vä Church contains some of the oldest—possibly the very oldest— church murals in Sweden. They have been described as being "of excellent quality, also compared with the rest of Europe". Their style is
Italo-Byzantine Italo-Byzantine is a style term in art history, mostly used for medieval paintings produced in Italy under heavy influence from Byzantine art. It initially covers religious paintings copying or imitating the standard Byzantine icon types, but pa ...
, in the same tradition as e.g. the murals in the (France), St. Gabriel's Chapel in
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
(England) or the
Znojmo Rotunda The Rotunda of St. Catherine (), known as the Znojmo Rotunda (''Znojemská rotunda''), is a Romanesque rotunda located in Znojmo, Czech Republic. It is the town's most valuable monument, and features one of the oldest fresco compositions in th ...
(Czech Republic). In style they are closely related to those in in
Wunstorf Wunstorf () is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately west of Hanover. The following localities belong to the town of Wunstorf: Blumenau (with Liethe), Bokeloh, Großenheidorn, Idensen (with Id ...
, Germany. These stylistic traits may have arrived from Eastern Europe, perhaps conveyed through the many personal contacts between the Danish royal family and the nobility of . The murals decorate the entire chancel ceiling, the west wall of the chancel and the apse. The semi-dome of the apse shows
Christ in Majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory () is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership change ...
, sitting on a rainbow with Earth as his footstool. The right hand of Christ is raised in a sign of blessing, and the left hand holds a book. He is dressed in an
alb An Alb is a liturgical vestment. ALB, Alb or alb may also refer to: * Alb, Alpine transhumance in Allemannic German Places * Alb (Upper Rhine), a tributary of the Upper Rhine in northern Black Forest near Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany * Al ...
with blue details, decorated with ''clavi'', golden bands originally denoting the majesty of the Roman emperor, but here signifying the Lord of Heaven. He is surrounded by the symbols of the Four Evangelists. This representation is typical for early Romanesque art in southern Sweden, but the painting is larger than usual, painted using unusually expensive pigments, and may indicate how the apse of Lund Cathedral could have been decorated originally. Beneath the semi-dome there are badly damaged murals depicting, on the north wall, what is probably an
archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
and Saint Mary. On the wall between the apse and the chancel there are depictions of (possibly) two
prophets In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...
. The barrel vault of the chancel is unique. A total of 24 round medallions contain images of angels,
apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
and saints carrying
speech scroll In art history, a speech scroll (also called a banderole or phylactery). is an illustrative device denoting speech, song, or other types of sound. Developed independently on two continents, the device was in use by artists within Mesoamerican cu ...
s with the text of the Christian hymn
Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...
. There are six rows with four medallions in each. The background is a representation of heaven, a blue sky with golden stars. The medallions are framed by concentric circles similar to the
mandorla A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in tra ...
surrounding Christ in the apse, and the figures painted inside them have alternating rich or simple clothing. The pictorial programme of the chancel serves to emphasize liturgical elements from the Christian mass. On the wall of the chancel facing the apse there are the two donor portraits mentioned above, representing a king and a queen. Both are dressed in ornate
Byzantine dress Byzantine dress changed considerably over the thousand years of the Empire, but was essentially conservative. The Byzantines liked colour and pattern, and made and exported very richly patterned cloth, especially Byzantine silk, woven and embroid ...
. The paintings were once whitewashed. In 1854, the paintings in the apse were uncovered and an attempt to restore them was made. In 1963, work was begun to restore the murals. The three-year-long project was led by Våga Andersson-Lindell.


Furnishings

The
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 ...
of the church is a copy of the original, which was moved 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 ...
in Stockholm in 1867. The original font dates from sometime between 1175 and 1225 and is decorated with floral decorations and part of the text of the
Hail Mary The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the ...
. On the north wall of the nave hangs a wooden cross, dated to 1400 on stylistic grounds. During the renovation of the building, a wooden
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, ...
from 1674 was moved from the chancel to the north aisle. The central panel of the altarpiece contains a depiction of the
Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...
, while the upper part contains the coat of arms of both County Governor and the
coat of arms of Sweden The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the arms of dominion of the Monarchy of Sweden, King of Sweden. It has a greater and a lesser version. The shield displays the "Three Crowns of Sweden" quartering the "Lion of Bjälbo", with an ine ...
. As Sweden had conquered the province from Denmark in 1658, the installation of the altarpiece can be seen as a political statement. The wooden
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 ...
dates from 1630. Its sides are decorated with sculptures depicting the Four Evangelists. The simple
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
is the fourth altar of the church and was made in 1966, together with a golden cross designed by goldsmith .


Use and heritage status

Vä Church belongs to the
Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...
. It is one of two churches in , a
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
within 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 ...
. The parish is part of , a group of three parishes and a total of five churches in the local area. Services are regularly held in the church, and it is open to visitors daily during summer. It is a
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control Romanesque architecture in Sweden Churches in Skåne County Churches in the Diocese of Lund Church frescos in Sweden Kristianstad Municipality