According the legend the first church in Selaön island was built by St. Olaf (Olaf II of Norway) in early 1000s. The current Ytterselö Church dates however from the 1100s. In the late Middle Ages it was changed as a square form hall church with vaults. The funeral chapel of Soop på Mälsåker family was added in 1650. The new choir was completed in 1728.
The beautifully carved triptych dates from c. 1500 and is made in Antwerpen. The crucifix was also made around 1500 and the pulpit around 1600. There is also an unusual tomb in the churchyard; The grave of Hans Åkesson Soop has four pillars and there is stone relief of Soop and his wife.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.