Frötuna Church
Frötuna Church (Swedish: Frötuna kyrka) is a medieval Lutheran church in the Archdiocese of Uppsala close to Norrtälje in Stockholm County, Sweden.
History and architecture[edit]
The oldest part of the church is from the late 12th century. The church was expanded during the 13th century and internal brick vaults were added in the 15th.[1][2] The western part of the church was built as a defensive tower, to protect the congregation against raiders who came from across the Baltic Sea.[1] A chapel was also added to the church during this time, which scholars believe may have been built for Sten Sture the Elder. The statesman was for a time excommunicated and thus disallowed from being present in church, but not from a chapel. The coat of arms of Sten Sture the Elder and his wife Ingeborg Tott are depicted in the ceiling of the chapel.[2] The church was originally dedicated to Saint Olaf and during the Middle Ages there was a local guild named after the Norwegian saint in the parish.[1]
During the 17th century a burial chapel was added to the south side of the church. It was commissioned by the Swedish nobleman Casper Otto Sperling, lord of nearby Rådmansö island and Ösbyholm manor.[2] An external belfry was erected in 1812.[2]
Among the church furnishings, the triumphal cross and the baptismal font are from the 13th century. A medieval polychrome wooden sculpture depicting the patron saint of the church, Saint Olaf, formerly belonged to the church but is today on display at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm; a copy is displayed in Frötuna Church.[1] The altar dates from 1773 and was made by a carpenter from nearby Norrtälje.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Jansson, Lennart; Brusewitz, Gunnar; et al. (1996). Vägar till kulturen in Roslagen (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fischer & Co. pp. 14–16. ISBN 91-7054-792-0.
- ^ a b c d "Frötuna kyrka och socken, Mellingeholm" (in Swedish). Stockholm County Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ Lilja, Kersti (2004). Frötuna kyrka. Antikvarisk kontroll vid restaurering av altare, altarring, korbänksskärmar (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm County Museum. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
External links[edit]
- Official site (in Swedish)
Media related to Frötuna Church at Wikimedia Commons
