St. Gertrud’s Church, Västervik, Sweden

St. Gertrud’s Church was built in the 1450s after King Eric of Pomerania had ordered to move the town of Västervik from Gamleby to the present location. The city and the Stegeholm castle were destroyed in a battle in 1517 and inhabitants moved back to the old city. After King Gustav Vasa ordered them to move back, the church was restored as a Lutheran church. It was once again destroyed in 1612 during the battle against Danish. The church was renovated and enlarged until 1739. The cuppa of baptismal font is the only original item in the church. The altarpiece was painted by Burchard Precht date from the late 1600s and the pulpit from 1743.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Västra Kyrkogatan 11, Västervik, Sweden

See all sites in Västervik

Details

Founded: 1450s
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Stegeholm Castle Ruins (0,6 km)

Långe Erik Lighthouse (51,6 km)
Gärdserum Church (52,2 km)
Hannäs Church (47,3 km)

User Reviews

Kerstin Gustafsson (5 years ago)
Very beautiful church

Christina Ohlsson (6 years ago)
A church well worth a visit. I was fortunate to have a lady guide. She was very knowledgeable.

Peter Menzel (6 years ago)
I grew up a stone's throw from the church and often played in the church park as a child. In other words, have visited the church many times over the years but I never tire of every detail in the church hall. The fact that it is also very beautiful both inside and outside makes it a unique experience. The oldest parts are from the 1450s and the church benches are from 1748. Thus a church with a fascinating history that is well worth a visit.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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