Vendel Church, Örbyhus, Sweden

The sacristy of Vendel Church was made of brick probably in the late 1200s and it is the oldest still existing part of the church. The current church building was completed around the year 1300. Arches were added in the 1450s and the church was enlarged in the 18th century.

Vende church is well-known of its mural paintings, dating back to the year 1451. They were painted by Johannes Ivan and donated by Agneta Krummedik from the near Örbyhus castle.

In 500-800 AD Vendel was a significant market and cultural centre. Archaelogists have found 14 so-called ship burials from the Vendel churchyard. Noblemen were buried there with their horses and equipments between 550-800 AD. Some foundings are displayed in the church's gate building. The historical era is named as a Vendel period after foundings in Vendel area.

References:

Marianne Mehling et al. Knaurs Kulturführer in Farbe. Schweden. München 1987.

User Reviews

Markku Maijala (2 years ago)
Amazingly beautiful church worth a visit.

Hans Bjorkman (2 years ago)
A very nice and beautiful church, both on the outside and inside. Looks so exciting with the bare brick and the beautiful medieval paintings in the church room. Today there was also a multimedia exhibition.

Anna Lantz (3 years ago)
So beautiful. Tyvärr kom vi när de stängde. Vi återkommer för ett längre besök.

Åsa Elmerfeldt (3 years ago)
So beautiful, both inside and out. Located on a hill with a view of Vendelsjön and both the site (Viking graves) and the church have a fantastic history. And the church's paintings tell a lot from the stories of the Bible and are very well preserved!

Margareta Holmgren (3 years ago)
Wonderful church considering that it is located so beautifully, it is worth seeing, was at a wedding and baptism there.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

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Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Vendel Church

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