Lojsta Church

Hemse, Sweden

The Romanesque choir and nave of Lojsta Church were probably built in the mid-1200s. The tower was replaced with the present one in the 14th century. The baptismal font was made probably in the 12th century, stained glass in 13th century, wall paintings 13th –16th century. The pulpit date from the 1600s and it was repainted in 1749.

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Address

142, Hemse, Sweden
See all sites in Hemse

Details

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

Rating

4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Piter Pan (2 years ago)
Den första kyrkan i Lojsta har troligen varit en mycket enkel träbyggnad. Några bjälkar från denna kyrka finns inmurade i långhusets västra mur. Det är inte otroligt att träkyrkan användes medan byggandet av den nya kyrkan av grå kalksten pågick. Kyrkans romanska kor och långhus tycks ha uppförts i ett sammanhang under mitten av 1200-talet. En mindre tornbyggnad ersattes av den nuvarande kraftiga och höga galleritornet under 1300-talet. Kyrkans inre genomgick förändringar troligen samtidigt med tornbygget. Den smala triumfbågen vidgades och gjordes spetsbågig. Muren ovanför bågen fick under 1300-talets mitt fick en rik målningssvit av Egypticusmästaren eller någon ur hans verkstad. I mitten tronar Kristus som världsomare flankerad av Petrus och Paulus samt två scener på vardera sida av drakdödare. Den ena bilden föreställer Sankta Margareta stående på ett drakhuvud, den andra Sankt Göran beredd med sköld och svärd att förgöra ondskan i drakgestalt. Kyrkorummets norra vägg pryds av Passionsmästarens verk från 1400-talet ur Kristi lidandes historia. I korfönstren finns väl bevarade medeltida glasmålningar från 1200-talet. De omfattar inte mindre än tio scener ur Jesu liv i senromansk typ. (Wikipedias text)
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Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

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Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

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