Vendel Church, Örbyhus, Sweden - SpottingHistory.com

The sacristy of Vendel Church was made of brick probably in the late 1200s and it is the oldest still existing part of the church. The current church building was completed around the year 1300. Arches were added in the 1450s and the church was enlarged in the 18th century.

Vende church is well-known of its mural paintings, dating back to the year 1451. They were painted by Johannes Ivan and donated by Agneta Krummedik from the near Örbyhus castle.

In 500-800 AD Vendel was a significant market and cultural centre. Archaelogists have found 14 so-called ship burials from the Vendel churchyard. Noblemen were buried there with their horses and equipments between 550-800 AD. Some foundings are displayed in the church's gate building. The historical era is named as a Vendel period after foundings in Vendel area.

References:

Marianne Mehling et al. Knaurs Kulturführer in Farbe. Schweden. München 1987.

User Reviews

Anna Lantz (9 months ago)
So beautiful. Tyvärr kom vi när de stängde. Vi återkommer för ett längre besök.

Åsa Elmerfeldt (11 months ago)
So beautiful, both inside and out. Located on a hill with a view of Vendelsjön and both the site (Viking graves) and the church have a fantastic history. And the church's paintings tell a lot from the stories of the Bible and are very well preserved!

Margareta Holmgren (12 months ago)
Wonderful church considering that it is located so beautifully, it is worth seeing, was at a wedding and baptism there.

Eric Pettersson (3 years ago)
Worth a visit. A little strange that a church is closed on a Sunday .... ? Anyway, the little museum next door was open. Overall, well worth a visit if you like history ?

Henrik Robeck (3 years ago)
Very beautiful and nice church with long history. Large and spacious almost cathedral-like. This lies in Vendel, which was given the name of the era before the Viking Age, with the incredible tomb finds that made, very similar to Sutton Ho.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Vendel Church

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Hidden Gems of Finnish Archipelago

House of the Dragon Filming Locations

Historic Landmarks of Sicily

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Looks like you are a history fan!