Vänge Church () is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church at

Vänge Vänge, previously known as Brunna, is a locality situated west of Uppsala in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsul ...

Uppsala County Uppsala County () is a county or '' län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. Province The nor ...

, Sweden. It lies in the

Archdiocese of Uppsala The Archdiocese of Uppsala () is one of the thirteen dioceses of the Church of Sweden and the only one having the status of an archdiocese. Lutheran archdiocese Uppsala is the seat of the Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala. The diocese, which has it ...

of 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 ...

History and architecture

Vänge Church dates from 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 ...

, and the oldest parts of the building date from the 13th century. It was successively expanded during the 14th and 15th centuries. The latest medieval additions - among them, the

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 inside the church - were probably funded by a local

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

called the Guild of St. John the Baptist, that existed in Vänge at the time. The church however derives much of its present-day appearance from a reconstruction and enlargement carried out in 1882–86, during which the church was re-made in

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

style both internally and externally. The reconstruction was carried out after the parish had been merged with neighbouring Läby parish, and the new congregation needed a larger church. In 1935 an attempt to restore the interior to its medieval appearance was carried out. During this time, lime frescos from the 1480s by

Albertus Pictor Albertus Pictor (English, "Albert the Painter"; Immenhusen, c. 1440 – c. 1507), also called Albert Pictor, Albert Målare and Albrekt Pärlstickare (Swedish), is the most famous late medieval Swedish painter, known for his wallpaintings survivi ...

(c.1440–c.1507) were uncovered. The church has a

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. The pulpit was added in 1935 and is adorned by three sculptures by Anton Lundberg. The altarpiece from 1935 was painted by Eva Bagge (1871-1964). West of the church lies the

parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, pa ...

, which consists of a main building (built 1849–50) and two wings (18th century) as well as a well-preserved

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

barn. The former church school is also located nearby. All together, these buildings constitute an unusually well-preserved ensemble. A

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

( Uppland Runic Inscription 905) is located adjacent to the church.

Gallery

VängeValvmålningar1802.jpg, Ceiling VängeKorAltare1801.jpg, Altar VängeDopfunt1802.jpg, Baptismal font VängePredikstolOrgel1801.jpg, Organ and pulpit

References

External links

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