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Founded: 12th centuryCategory: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Consolidation (Sweden)
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Östra Herrestad Church belongs to a group of Romanesque churches built by Carl stenmästare, a master stone mason educated at the building site of Lund Cathedral. The church is richly decorated with 16th-century murals inside.
The church dates from the middle of the 12th century. The church originally consisted of a nave, chancel and an apse. The church was probably commissioned by a local magnate. In the 15th century, the vaults were constructed, replacing an earlier ceiling. Between 1888 and 1889 the church was renovated and rebuilt to plans by Henrik Sjöström. It received new furnishings, was enlarged towards the west and the tower was rebuilt.
Inside, the church has also retained a few fragments of the original Romanesque church. The vaults of the church are profusely decorated with church murals from the early 16th century. In the nave, there are depictions from Genesis, the Coronation of the Virgin, and the Last Judgment. The chancel contains scenes from the life of Christ, and the apse is dominated by a representation of God the Father, holding the crucified Christ. The sacristy contains murals depicting the Twelve Apostles. The furnishings date mostly from the 19th century, with the exception of the baptismal font which was made in the 14th century.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.