Högby Church
The Church of Högby ( Swedish : Högby kyrka ) is a church in Högby on the Swedish island of Öland in the Baltic Sea .
history
A predecessor to today's church was built on the same site in the middle of the 12th century. This first church without a tower was built on a burial ground from the older Iron Age .
At the end of the 12th century the mighty church tower , designed as a defensive tower , was built, which is still preserved today and represents the oldest part of the church. In the years 1870 and 1871, the medieval nave was torn down and replaced by a new, much larger one, as the old church no longer offered enough space. Since then, Högby Church has been the largest church on Öland. Renovations took place in 1939, 1975/1976 and 1997/1998.
Furnishing
The oldest piece of furniture is a Marian triptych from the 15th century. The work comes from the eastern part of Germany . In the middle there is a sculpture of Mary, which is dated to the 14th century and did not belong to the triptych from the beginning. The original figure that went with it has also been preserved and is located in the sacristy .
A Petrustriptych is also worth mentioning. The figure of Peter that goes with it is believed to have been made by a Swedish artist.
The altar was created by the architect Leo Eriksson and designed by the artist Sven-Bertil Svensson . On both sides of the altar there is a figure depicting the apostle Paul with a sword and on the other side John, depicted with a chalice. The altarpiece, made of wood by Anders Dahlström the Younger in 1762, depicts the baptism of Christ. The triumphal cross was built in the 16th century and comes from northern Germany . Stylized leaves on the cross refer to the cross as the tree of life .
The pulpit was created in 1871. In the church there is also the previously used pulpit on the gallery . This dates from 1564 and is therefore the oldest pulpit in Öland. Some gravestones from the 17th century are embedded in the floor.
In the paradise of the church there are several paintings depicting alterations to the church. There is also a list of pastors. In the sacristy there are portraits of some of the pastors.
Surroundings
To the north of the church, outside the churchyard wall, there are some stables belonging to the church. These church stables , the last surviving ones on Öland, were used to house the horses of worshipers during the service. The low height of the horse stables, which was adapted to the low height of the Öland horses , is remarkable .
literature
- Högby kyrka , leaflet without a year, German
Web links
Coordinates: 57 ° 9 '53.2 " N , 17 ° 1' 12.4" E