Skabersjö Church was built during the 12th century. Originally, it consisted of an apse, choir, and nave. The tower was added later, as was the large northern extension built in 1745. Inside, the nave is equipped with two cross vaults from the 15th century, while the choir has a Romanesque tunnel vault. The tunnel vault is one of the few preserved examples of this early type in Skåne. In 1682, the church's deficiencies were mentioned, including the church being described as having 'a flat tower,' meaning a tower without a spire. At that time, a now-vanished porch was also mentioned.
The northern addition was erected as a burial chapel for the Thott family of Skabersjö, who held the patronage rights to the church. The year 1745 and the initials OT and CK (Otto Thott and Christine Kaas) can be seen on the exterior. In 1828, it was noted that 'a burial chapel exists in the church for the Thott family.' This burial chapel was later opened to the public as it was too damp for coffins. Instead, the Thott family established the special Thott Cemetery south of the church building.
In 1896, the church was restored under the supervision of A.W. Lundberg, during which the windows were enlarged.
On the outside of the southern nave wall, there is an older sundial and a magnificent gravestone for the church pastor Michael Petreius, who died in 1642.
On the southern side of the churchyard, there is a larger area separated by a stone wall for the graves of the Thott family. All grave markers are made of cast iron.
The altarpiece was made in 1771 by the castle architect Adolf Fredrik Barnekow, who was the brother-in-law of Count Tage Thott (governor) of Skabersjö. It replaced an altarpiece that had been erected in 1586 by the church's then-patron Holger Ulfstand of Skabersjö. The pulpit, which is still preserved, was set up the year before.
The baptismal font was donated to the church on Christmas Eve in 1922 by Countess Augusta Thott.
References:
The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.