Carl Gustafs Church (Karlshamn)
The Carl-Gustaf Church ( Swedish Carl Gustaf kyrka ) is a church of the parish Karlshamn of the Diocese of Lund . It is located in the center of the city of Karlshamn, a capital of the Blekinge County , and dates from the 17th century.
history
The previous church from 1664 stood near the harbor and was a wooden church . After the completion of the new town church, it was used as a granary for a few years. In 1680, the then mayor, Christopher Schröder, suggested the construction of a new and larger church. The designs for this come from Erik Dahlberg , who was also responsible for the town planning and the construction of the fort.
In 1681 the construction of the church on Karlshamn's market square began. Due to disputes among the citizens and a lack of resources, their construction was interrupted several times. In an open letter dated August 1, 1692, King Charles XI. a collection of all parishes in the empire for the building of the church. Its masonry was therefore completed in 1693. This year can also be found on the southern outer wall of the church. On October 26, 1702, the church was consecrated by the bishop of Lund Mattias Steuchius in the name of the city's founder and Swedish king Karl X. Gustav . However, its final completion took until the year 1714, not least due to disputes with the Danes and the effects of the plague epidemic in 1709 to 1711, which killed around half of the population.
In 1834 a semicircular sacristy was added to the east behind the choir . The church has been restored several times since it was built. A thorough renovation took place from 1879 to 1881, the last restoration in 1981. The choir was enlarged in 1981 by removing two pairs of benches and replacing the windows of the church. The new sacristy was set up in the porch of the church and the old one became a prayer room.
description
The style of the town church of Karlshamn is a central building . Your masonry is gray and white. Your alignment seems a little strange. Obviously, the location relative to the cardinal points was more important than an adaptation to the road network. In the middle above her choir is a central tower. The church bells were originally located in this. However, it soon turned out that its construction was too weak to support it. It was therefore decided to build a free-standing stack of bells north of the church, which was completed in 1760. This became a bell tower over time.
The shortened cross shape of the church was a way to adapt to the religious framework of the Protestant church. Their goal was to bring priests and congregations closer together. However, this plan was not fully implemented when the Carl Gustaf Church was built. Its northern and southern arm is shorter than its western and eastern arm, so that its appearance is somewhat similar to that of a long-nave church .
There is a cemetery around the church, but it is no longer in use. During the plague epidemic from 1710 to 1711 it was decided to bury all those who died of the plague in a specially created "plague cemetery". This was about 500 meters east of the church and was also used during the cholera epidemics in 1834 and 1854. In 1879 a new cemetery was laid out north of the city, today it is called Hvilans kyrkogård .
Furnishing
The altar stands in the center of the church. The altarpiece was painted by Fredric Westin in 1832 and depicts the Entombment of Christ. Together with the two wall paintings on the north side of the western cloister and on the south wall, the three motifs are crucifixion , entombment and resurrection . Another mural is on the east wall of the southern arm of the cross. All three wall paintings were made in the 18th century. To the left and right of the altar, perspective paintings depict a temple. They were painted by Karl Albin Strömberg in 1843.
An epitaph on the south wall of the choir is dedicated to the mayor Christopher Schröder, who suggested the construction of the church. It was made by the court sculptor Caspar Schröder and shows his portrait.
The baptismal font is made of brass and dates from 1717. It was made in Sweden or the Netherlands. The baptismal bowl dates from 1519 and is therefore the oldest inventory.
In 1837 Peter Lindh made the pulpit out of wood .
The ceiling paintings in the center of the church show crosses and thorns - symbols of the four evangelists. They were made by Allan Nordblad in 1901 and 1902.
The chandeliers date from around 1705 and are gifts from merchants. During the restoration in 1981, twelve light rings made of brass were hung. The window glass, which was originally colored, was also replaced by uncolored glass in order to have more light in the church.
The outside of the benches were painted red-brown in 1981. The church has also had a votive ship since 1984 , which was made by Karl Albin Strämberg and shows the brig Bravo made in 1861.
The organ was built by Bruno Christensen in 1974. It has 48 voices on three manuals and pedal .
Notes / individual evidence
- ↑ In the city chronicle it is mentioned that the plans were sent to him in order to get his opinion. He then improved these plans. However, it can no longer be determined today to what extent Dahlberg was involved in the construction of the church. However, there are many similarities to its other churches.
- ↑ see town chronicle year 1692
- ↑ Karlshamns kyrkor (vol. 87, Vol. IV: 2) from: Vitterhetsakademien och Riksantikvarieämbetet - Forskningsföretaget Sveriges kyrkor, Stockholm 1925–1961
- ↑ see town chronicle for the years 1709 to 1711
- ↑ Karlshamn's historia, del I, pp. 118–119 (see Karlshamn City Archives )
- ↑ Caspar Schröder (d. 1710) was one of his twenty children. He became known u. a. by making a marble bust of King Charles XI. by 1695.
- ↑ Armin Tuulse: "Caspar Schröder's epitafium över sin fader". from: Fornvännen årgång 1955 (PDF; 2.0 MB). Digital Fornvännen, Riksantikvarieämbetet, Vitterhetsakademiens bibliotek, Stockholm 1960 pp. 100–115 (Swedish, with a summary in German)
Web links
- Historical postcards of the Carl Gustaf Church and the church tower (bell stack)
Coordinates: 56 ° 10 ′ 17 ″ N , 14 ° 51 ′ 43.6 ″ E