Olstrup Church is a Romanesque church built around 1200. In the Middle Ages, the church was originally dedicated to St Lawrence. Built of red brick, the relatively small church first consisted of a Romanesque chancel and nave. It was later extended to the west in the Late Gothic period with a stepped gable. The chancel's cross-vaults and the round chancel arch may date from the church's original construction. The cross-vaults in the nave also seem to be older than the Gothic extension.
In 1936, Egmont Lind discovered frescos in the east vault of the nave which were dated to c. 1575. They present scenes of the Last Judgment. Christ is depicted sitting on a rainbow with his feet on the globe of the Earth, flanked by trumpet-playing angels and the 12 apostles. Some pre-Reformation features such as the lily and sword are included but there are no halos.
The carved pulpit from 1622 has figures of the apostles. The canopy is from c. 1675. On the north wall there is a figure of St Lawrence from c. 1300. There is a decorated font in Gotland limestone.
References: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.