Details
Founded: 1860sCategory: Castles and fortifications in Sweden
Historical period: Union with Norway and Modernization (Sweden)
User Reviews
Bellinga Castle was first mentioned in 1346 and in the 16th century it became a seat farm of Sövdeborg. Since 1860 it has been owned by Piper Family. Elizabeth Piper and her husband Carl Fredrik Hochschild built then the present, manor-style main building. Today Bellinga is in private use and not open to the public.
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.