Mästerby Church

Mästerby, Sweden

Mästerby Church dates largely from the 13th century. The nave, choir and apse were built first, at the beginning of the century. In the middle of the same century, the tower was also built. The nave was made higher about a century later, and at this time both the nave and choir received vaulted ceilings. The church has remained relatively unaltered since the end of the Middle Ages. Only the sacristy is significantly later, added in 1790. New windows were also made in the 1860s.

The church is richly decorated with frescos internally. They range in period from the 13th to the 17th century. In the apse, some Romanesque paintings survive, notably a depicting of Mary, while some have been covered with other paintings in the 17th century. The vaults in the nave are decorated with frescos from the 14th century, and the walls of the nave furthermore decorated by the artist sometimes referred to as the Master of the Passion of Christ (15th century). Still other frescos, in the choir, probably date from the 16th century, while another set, again in the nave, is dated to 1633.

The baptismal font is from the 12th century, Romanesque in style and a work by the sculptor known by the assigned name Byzantios. The triumphal cross is locally made, dating from the 13th century. Other furnishings date from the time after the Reformation.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

580, Mästerby, Sweden
See all sites in Mästerby

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Consolidation (Sweden)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Daniel Herold (7 months ago)
This is a well maintained medieval church with medieval wall paintings, roman and gothic elements, and tomb stones from the 12th to 17th century and located centrally in Mästerby. Nice destination for a bike trip due to the laid back location and the low traffic rural roads around it.
Adrian Lancaster (8 months ago)
Beautiful church
Ingvar Krafft (2 years ago)
A church from the 13th century. Worth a visit. Has a special baptism pound.
Ulrika (2 years ago)
Mästerby church is worth a detour! It has many paintings. Bla a painting where Jesus sits on the rainbow and judges people who come out of their graves dazed and glum. On the right, the souls of people are weighed and little devils hang in the second scale to make the souls too light to enter paradise. On the left is the gate to the kingdom of heaven. I believe it is from Revelation, the last book of the Bible.
Carina Karlsson (3 years ago)
Nice church with nice paintings. Didn't find any candles, but this time I checked before paying.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.