Gerum Church
The Church of Gerum ( Swedish Gerums kyrka ) is a country church on the Swedish island of Gotland . It stands on the plain in the southwest of the island, 38 km south of Visby and 7 km north of Hemse .
Church building
Like most medieval Gotland churches, Gerum kyrka consists of components from different centuries. The oldest part is the choir with apse , which was built at the beginning of the 13th century. A Romanesque nave probably belonged to the choir . The current nave was added at the end of the 13th century. The angles on the base of the east side of the nave show that a new, larger choir had been planned. The church tower , which remained unfinished compared to the original concept, was probably built at the same time as the nave (the plinths are in the association). The portals on the south and west sides are decorated with carved leaf ornamentation. The sacristy was built in 1835.
interior
The interior is characterized by an unusual wealth of colors, which is brought about by lime paintings from three epochs:
- Ornamental painting in the west of the two triumphal arches and on the east wall of the nave, probably from the end of the 13th century in connection with the building of the nave,
- Paintings on the north and south walls of the nave by the passion master in the middle of the 15th century, a passion frieze that begins with the entry of Christ into Jerusalem and ends with a soul-weighing scene; on the south wall four scenes from the childhood story of Jesus and five frames with two apostles each,
- Rich acanthus painting in the apse, dated 1771 when it was donated by Lars Pärson from Smeds. A pane of glass paintings from the 14th century, which depicts St. Olof in the south window of the choir, also contributes to the wealth of colors .
- Gerum Church
inventory
The inventory includes a well-preserved font from the stone master Majestatis from the 12th century. The traces of paint seem to be original. The reliefs on the Cuppa show: the Annunciation, Mary and Elizabeth , the birth of Christ , the Annunciation to the Shepherds , the Adoration of the Magi . At the foot of the baptismal font, four dragon heads bite into snakes. Three medieval crucifixes have been preserved. The triumphal cross in its original place in the triumphal arch is a work from the end of the 12th century. Two processional crucifixes hang on the north wall of the choir, the left one from around 1200 and the right one from the 14th century.
One of the oldest bells in Visby Abbey hangs in the tower , probably cast before 1250. Old tombstones are placed in the tower chamber.
The altarpiece with a painting of the Last Supper in the middle is a work from 1667.
The pulpit was also built in the 17th century, while the hour clock dates from 1747. The stalls come from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The church of Gerum was completely restored in 1951/52 according to plans by the architect Olle Karth.
literature
- Marita Jonsson, Sven-Olof Lindquist: Gotland cultural guide. Almqvist & Wiksell, Uppsala 1993, ISBN 91-88036-09-X , p. 93
- Erland Lagerlöf, Gunnar Svahnström: The churches of Gotland. Stein, Kiel 1991, ISBN 3-89392-049-8 , pp. 144-145
Web links
- guteinfo (Swedish, with pictures)
- Orgelanders (Swedish, with pictures)
- PaGotland ( Memento from August 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (Swedish)
- Building register at Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
Coordinates: 57 ° 17 ′ 40.3 ″ N , 18 ° 19 ′ 46.5 ″ E