Västerplana Church

Västerplana Church date from the 12th century. In the 18th century the church was considered to be too small and therefore it was enlarged and transformed into a cruciform church. Thus the direction of its nave is no longer west to east but north to south, where the chancel is today. The northern arm of the cross was begun in 1724 and the southern one was finished in 1737. This new part of the church got a high altar in the 1730s and paintings on the ceiling at about the same time. The old pulpit from 1636 was now rebuilt and placed in the new chancel in the south.

The remarkable medieval baptismal font has been attributed to a certain Master Othelric, whose signature you can find in the church of Skälvum, only a few kilometres from here. His works show traces of German as well as of English influence, and so experts assume that he was born in Germany but learned his craft mainly in England.

The Madonna with the Christ-child from the early 13th century is a good specimen of Swedish wood-carving.There is also a somewhat younger wooden sculpture representing St John the Baptist. The triumphal crucifix originally belonged to the neighbouring church of Medelplana and can be dated back to the end of the Middle Ages, but the cross belonging to it is not as old as that.

The paintings on the walls of the old chancel were created in the 1630s and those on the ceiling in the 18th century, the latter inspired by what could be seen and admired in the Castle of Läckö.

References:

• Wikipedia
• Svenska Kyrkan

Address

2714, Källby, Sweden

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Consolidation (Sweden)