Fröjel Church

Fröjel Church
Fröjels kyrka
Fröjel Church, external view
Fröjel Church
Location on Gotland
57°20′08″N 18°11′23″E / 57.33556°N 18.18978°E / 57.33556; 18.18978Coordinates: 57°20′08″N 18°11′23″E / 57.33556°N 18.18978°E / 57.33556; 18.18978
Country Sweden
Denomination Church of Sweden
Administration
Diocese Visby

Fröjel Church (Swedish: Fröjels kyrka) is a medieval Lutheran church in Fröjel on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Diocese of Visby.

History and architecture

The church is built close to a pre-Christian so-called Troy Town, indicating an ancient site.[1] The church was probably built not only as a house of worship but also a place of refuge in times of danger: the location on a high cliff by the sea is fortress-like, and close to the church lies the ruins of a defensive tower, dating from the Middle Ages. The oldest parts of the church itself dates from the late 12th century; it is the nave. The tower is somewhat later, while the large choir is from circa 1300, and in Gothic style rather than the Romanesque of the rest of the church. The intention was probably that the whole church should be rebuilt in Gothic style but for some reason only the choir was rebuilt.[2]

The interior of the church displays several medieval frescos, depicting dragons, deer, lions and griffins, as well as an angel and a bishop. The frescos date from the early 14th century.[3] The base of the baptismal font is made by the obscure Master Byzantios, while the upper part of the font is from the 14th century. There is also a large medieval triumphal cross in Fröjel church. Later additions to the inventory include the altarpiece and the pulpit, both from the 17th century.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Enderborg, Bernt. "Fröjel kyrka, Gotland". guteinfo.com (in Swedish). Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Lagerlöf, Erland (1973). Lagerlöf, Erland, ed. Gotlands kyrkor (in Swedish). Uddevalla: Rabén & Sjögren. pp. 143–144. ISBN 9129410355.
  3. ↑ Jonsson, Marita; Lindquist, Sven-Olof (1987). Vägen till kulturen på Gotland (in Swedish). Visby: Gotlands fornsal. p. 159. ISBN 91-971048-1-7.
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