Fogdö Church, Strängnäs, Sweden

Fogdö Church was built in the 1100s and has wooden sculptures from that time. There was a Benedictine nunnery from 1233. The church was used both as a parish church and as a monastic one, as is testified by an inset opening in the south wall - a so-called 'nun's window' ('nunneporten'). The quire was also widened so as better to accommodate the nuns' choral liturgy. Judging from the surviving walls, the services of a builder trained in the Cistercian style were obtained for the project.

After 50 years the nuns moved again to the present Kungsberg (3 km east of Fogdö), where they were able to have built a full monastic complex in accordance with the Cistercian principles of monastery construction and layout. The new buildings were put into operation in 1289 and the monastery was known as Vårfruberga Abbey.

Fogdö Church was however used as parish church. The tower was added in the 16th century and the chapel of Posse på Bergshammar family in the 17th century. The interior is decorated with murals, made by so-called Fogdö Master in the first half of 1400s. the pulpit dates from 1642.

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User Reviews

Helene Hörberg (2 years ago)
Beautiful well maintained church and cemetery.

Simon Larsson (3 years ago)
A pretty church at a lovely location. Unusual round stairwell protruding on the side of the tower. Some interesting objects inside and some wall paintings uncovered in an intriguing way here and there, plus beautiful ceiling arches.

Hylaeus (3 years ago)
Nice church

Daniela Wanqvist (4 years ago)
Vackert. Värdigt. Fridfullt ??

Björn Kullenberg (6 years ago)

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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.

Fogdö Church

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