Herrestad Church is one of the oldest existing churches in Sweden. According the Radiocarbon dating of wooden parts the construction was started in 1112. Archaeologists have also found nearby an early Christian tomb from the 1000s. It is quite probable there has been a wooden church before the stone church was built.
Herrestad church was made of limestone in early Romanesque style. The interior includes a medieval triptych, which depicts the coronation of the Virgin Mary and which was made at Vadstena Monastery in the 15th century. There is also an original medieval font, along with a triumphal crucifix from the 15th century. The pulpit was carved in the 16th century piece by a local artist. The church doors date back to the earliest days of the building.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.