St. Gertrud’s Church

Västervik, Sweden

St. Gertrud’s Church was built in the 1450s after King Eric of Pomerania had ordered to move the town of Västervik from Gamleby to the present location. The city and the Stegeholm castle were destroyed in a battle in 1517 and inhabitants moved back to the old city. After King Gustav Vasa ordered them to move back, the church was restored as a Lutheran church. It was once again destroyed in 1612 during the battle against Danish. The church was renovated and enlarged until 1739. The cuppa of baptismal font is the only original item in the church. The altarpiece was painted by Burchard Precht date from the late 1600s and the pulpit from 1743.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1450s
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Kerstin Gustafsson (5 years ago)
Very beautiful church
Christina Ohlsson (6 years ago)
A church well worth a visit. I was fortunate to have a lady guide. She was very knowledgeable.
Peter Menzel (6 years ago)
I grew up a stone's throw from the church and often played in the church park as a child. In other words, have visited the church many times over the years but I never tire of every detail in the church hall. The fact that it is also very beautiful both inside and outside makes it a unique experience. The oldest parts are from the 1450s and the church benches are from 1748. Thus a church with a fascinating history that is well worth a visit.
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.