Väte Church ( sv, Väte kyrka) is a medieval Lutheran church in Väte on the Swedish island of

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

. It is in the Diocese of Visby of the Church of Sweden.

History and architecture

Väte Church was built during the 14th century. The choir and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in 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 usually located ...

are the oldest parts of the church, from circa 1300, while the nave dates from the middle of the 14th century. A tower was planned but never built. The presently visible church probably replaced an earlier, Romanesque church, of which several remains have been incorporated with the presently visible, mostly

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

church. No major alterations have been made to Väte Church since the Middle Ages. The church spire was constructed in 1914. The church is built of limestone. The exterior is partially decorated with Romanesque sculpture (the northern portal, decorative reliefs and window dressings), and has two

southern portals with finely sculpted capitals. Inside, the church is decorated with murals. One set dates from the 14th century, another by the so-called

Master of the Passion of Christ The Passion Master ( sv, Passionsmästaren) is the name used to refer to an anonymous fresco painter and his workshop, active on Gotland during the 15th century. Works in about fifty churches have been attributed to the artist. The style of the Mas ...

(''Passionsmästaren'') from the 15th century and a third by the so-called Master of 1520 (similar to murals in Alva and Lau churches). The octagonal baptismal font is of sandstone and dated to the 12th century. The altarpiece was painted in 1780 by Johan Niklas Weller (1723-1785) who also painted the altar in 1782. The triumphal crucifix is from the 13th century. The church has undergone restorative works three times during the 20th century: in 1927-28, in 1956 was under the direction of architect Nils Arne Rosén (1920-1998) and the work in 1965 under architect Olle Karth (1905-1965).

References

External links

*
Official site
(in Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vate Church Romanesque architecture in Sweden Gothic architecture in Sweden Churches in Gotland County Churches in the Diocese of Visby Church frescos in Sweden 14th-century churches in Sweden Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden

History and architecture

References

Further reading

External links