Hyby Old Church

Svedala, Sweden

Hyby Old Church dates back to the 12th century. On September 9, 1873, lightning struck the church, causing a subsequent fire. This accident led to the decision to build a new church not far from the old one. Hyby New Church was completed in 1877. Only the large choir of the old church was preserved, serving as a burial chapel for the noble Trolle family at nearby Klågerups Castle. This noble family had already used the church as a burial place before the fire. There were three coffins for the Trolle youth who drowned at Torup in 1775. In 1940, the coffins in the chapel were considered to be in such poor condition that they needed to be buried. In 1951, the church was restored to its current appearance.

Hyby Old Church was dedicated to St. Nicholas and consisted of a long choir and a nave with two cross vaults. The nave had a portal in the south for men and one in the north for women. During the 18th century, a tower was erected west of the nave and was crowned with a very tall spire.

The walls of the church's nave and its vaults were covered with frescoes. In the so-called 'Prästrelationer' from 1624, there are mentions of depictions of noblemen and coats of arms belonging to families such as Has and Hack in Hyby and Klågerup. Today, only the paintings in the former choir remain.

The remaining choir has two cross vaults, with the western one likely built in connection with the original church and the eastern one added during the 15th century. The vaults are covered with paintings executed by the anonymous Master Harriemästaren around 1500. The vaults feature scenes of Golgotha, the Last Judgment, and a row of apostles. In the south: Peter, Paul, Andrew, James the Elder with a pilgrim's staff, and Philip. In the west: Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon, and Jude. In the so-called tribune arch, St. Nicholas, the medieval patron saint of Hyby Church, is depicted.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

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

User Reviews

Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.