Nederluleå Church, Gammelstad, Sweden

Nederluleå church is the largest medieval church in Norrland. It was built during the 15th century and inaugurated by Archbishop Jacob Ulfsson in 1492. The church has a very rich interior and furnishings. The late-mediaeval frescos in the chancel were by the school of Albertus Pictor.

The richly decorated triptych was made in Antwerpen around 1520 and it is one of the finest in Sweden. The font and cruficix date also from the late Middle Ages. The wooden pulpit was carved by Nils Fluur in 1712.

References:

Address

Kyrktorget 2, Gammelstad, Sweden

See all sites in Gammelstad

Details

Founded: 1492
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Kalmar Union (Sweden)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Gammelstad Church Town (0 km)

Luleå Cathedral (8,9 km)
Museum of Norrbotten (8,7 km)
Råneå Church (26,2 km)
Boden Fortress (23,7 km)

User Reviews

Alexander Majorov (7 months ago)
Väldigt fin byggnad och fantastisk atmosfär under sommaren!

Jane Fagerström (10 months ago)
Nederluleån kirkko on ihana ja tunnelmallinen vanha kirkko, joka kutsuu hiljentymään Pyhän äärelle. Se on Norrlannin suurin keskiaikainen kirkko, jonka historian aistii jo kirkon ympärille rakennetusta Gammelstadin mökkikylästä. Kirkko on mökkikylän ohella osa Unescon maailmanperintökohdetta. Kirkon alttaritaulu on todella upea lukuisine yksityiskohtineen ja esimerkiksi saarnastuoli on hyvin koristeellinen. Kirkosta löytyy kivana yksityiskohtana lasten leikkialttari. Iso suositus tälle kirkolle: Älä aja ohi!

Wolfgang Buelter (12 months ago)
Sehr schöne Kirche in Gammelstad / Nederlulea. Interessante Innenausstattung.

Maria N (17 months ago)
Interesting looking church with curious history. People working at the church are always happy to tell more about it. Leaflets with church’s history are available in multiple languages. Overall, worth a visit.

Niilo Alhovaara (3 years ago)
The beautiful stone church from the 15th century is the natural center of the UNESCO world heritage village. The hundreds of church cottages are scattered around the church. The amazing sounding church organ was built in Gammelstad, Grönlunds!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Alexxx1979

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Church of the Savior on Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg. The church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. Construction began in 1883 under Alexander III, as a memorial to his father, Alexander II. Work progressed slowly and was finally completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.

Architecturally, the Cathedral differs from St. Petersburg's other structures. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque and Neoclassical, but the Savior on Blood harks back to medieval Russian architecture in the spirit of romantic nationalism. It intentionally resembles the 17th-century Yaroslavl churches and the celebrated St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

The Church contains over 7500 square metres of mosaics — according to its restorers, more than any other church in the world. The interior was designed by some of the most celebrated Russian artists of the day — including Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and Mikhail Vrubel — but the church's chief architect, Alfred Alexandrovich Parland, was relatively little-known (born in St. Petersburg in 1842 in a Baltic-German Lutheran family). Perhaps not surprisingly, the Church's construction ran well over budget, having been estimated at 3.6 million roubles but ending up costing over 4.6 million. The walls and ceilings inside the Church are completely covered in intricately detailed mosaics — the main pictures being biblical scenes or figures — but with very fine patterned borders setting off each picture.

In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the church was ransacked and looted, badly damaging its interior. The Soviet government closed the church in the early 1930s. During the Second World War when many people were starving due to the Siege of Leningrad by Nazi German military forces, the church was used as a temporary morgue for those who died in combat and from starvation and illness. The church suffered significant damage. After the war, it was used as a warehouse for vegetables, leading to the sardonic name of Saviour on Potatoes.

In July 1970, management of the Church passed to Saint Isaac's Cathedral (then used as a highly profitable museum) and proceeds from the Cathedral were funneled back into restoring the Church. It was reopened in August 1997, after 27 years of restoration, but has not been reconsecrated and does not function as a full-time place of worship; it is a Museum of Mosaics. Even before the Revolution it never functioned as a public place of worship; having been dedicated exclusively to the memory of the assassinated tsar, the only services were panikhidas (memorial services). The Church is now one of the main tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

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Nederluleå Church