List_of_church_ruins_on_Gotland

List of church ruins on Gotland

List of church ruins on Gotland

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There are nineteen known ruined churches on the Swedish island of Gotland,[1] twelve of which lie in Visby, the island's main town. Of these, ten lie within the medieval city walls.[2] Three additional church ruins in Visby are known through written sources, but today completely vanished.[3]

The skyline of Visby, dominated by the ruined Sankta Karin church

Gotland began to gradually abandon Norse religion and adopt Christianity during the 11th century.[3] While the earliest churches were wooden, construction of stone churches began during the 12th century. The church building period was fairly short; in the countryside stone churches were erected between the early 12th and mid-14th centuries,[3] while in Visby the last churches were inaugurated during the 15th century.[2]

Some of these churches have since fallen into ruin. Of the 94 medieval parish churches in the countryside, 91 are still in use. Three were abandoned following the Reformation, when parishes were merged, and some churches became superfluous.[3] There are in addition three chapel ruins, or ruins of small churches, in the countryside. There are also the ruins of two Cistercian abbeys, one in the countryside and one just outside the city wall of Visby.

Although the exact number of churches that existed in Visby during the Middle Ages is unknown, there were certainly more than in any other Swedish city, and at least twelve within the city walls.[2][4] Visby grew to become an important trading port during the Middle Ages, and most of the churches in the city were built during the 12th and 13th centuries.[2][4] The churches were not, as in the countryside, only parish churches. Some belonged to abbeys, almshouses or served groups of traders of a specific nationality, such as the Russian Church or present-day Visby Cathedral, which was originally a church used by German traders.[2][4]

Following the Black Death, the invasion of Gotland by Valdemar IV of Denmark and the Battle of Visby in 1361, and a general decrease in trade, Gotland entered a period of decline. From about 1361, building activity therefore dropped.[4] The inauguration of Sankta Karin in 1412 marks the end of church building activity in Visby.[2] When troops from Lübeck pillaged the city in 1525, and probably damaged several of the churches, the social and economic rationale for sustaining them had vanished.[2] With the advent of the Reformation soon afterwards, the religious rationale to sustain the upkeep of the many churches also permanently disappeared. All monasteries were abolished and all churches within the city walls except one (present-day Visby Cathedral) were abandoned and left to decay. During the following centuries, some church ruins were used as quarries. In 1805 the church ruins were protected by law and in 1863 the Swedish state for the first time allocated money for their conservation.[2]

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See also


References

  1. "Sökresultat" [Search results]. www.raa.se (in Swedish). Riksantikvarieämbetet. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  2. Lagerlöf, Erland (1973). Lagerlöf, Erland (ed.). Gotlands kyrkor [Churches of Gotland] (in Swedish). Uddevalla: Rabén & Sjögren. ISBN 9129410355.
  3. Andrén, Anders (2011). Det Medeltida Gotland. En arkeologisk guidebok [Medieval Gotland. An archaeological guide book.] (in Swedish). Lund: Historiska Media. ISBN 978-91-85873-83-8.
  4. Ulfsdotter, Linnea (ed.). "ÖDEKYRKOR – Gotland" [Church ruins – Gotland]. www.landskapsarv.se (in Swedish). Landskapsarv. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  5. "Gunfjauns kapell, Ardre Ekese 1:18 Ardre ödekyrka" [Chapel of Gunfjauns, Ardre Ekese 1:18 Ardre Church ruin]. www.gotland.se (in Swedish). Region Gotland. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  6. "Elinghem ödekyrka" [Elinghem Church ruin]. www.svenskakyrkan.se (in Swedish). Church of Sweden. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  7. "Ganns ödekyrka" [Gann Church ruin]. www.svenskakyrkan.se (in Swedish). Church of Sweden. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  8. Svahnström, Gunnar (1985). Kyrkorna i Visby [Churches in Visby]. Svenska kulturminnen, 99-0529332-9 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Riksantikvarieämbetet. ISBN 91-7192-649-6.
  9. "St Clemens ruin – a magical place". www.clemensruin.se. Hotell S:t Clemens. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  10. Tuulse, Armin (1970). "S:t Görans kyrkoruin i Visby". Fornvännen (in Swedish and German). Riksantikvarieämbetet: 90–107. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  11. "RAÄ-nummer Fårö 346:1" [RAÄ-number Fårö 346:1]. www.raa.se (in Swedish). Riksantikvarieämbetet. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  12. "Gamla hamn" [Old harbor]. www.lansstyrelsen.se (in Swedish). Gotland County Administrative Board. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  13. "RAÄ-nummer Hellvi 60:1" [RAÅ-number Hellvi 60:1]. www.raa.se (in Swedish). Riksantikvarieämbetet. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  14. "S:t Olofsholm". www.lansstyrelsen.se (in Swedish). Gotland County Administrative Board. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  15. "Solberga kloster" [Solberga nunnery] (PDF). www.lansstyrelsen.se (in Swedish). Gotland County Administrative Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 10 July 2014.

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