Halla Church

Halla, Sweden

The oldest part of Halla Church is the Romanesque nave, dating from circa 1200. The tower is slightly later, while the disproportionally large choir is from the middle of the 14th century, in Gothic style and replacing an older on the same spot. Scholars have concluded that there were plans to replace the whole church with a Gothic edifice, but the builders probably ran out of funds after constructing the choir.

The exterior of the church is thus a mix of Romanesque and Gothic. A few sculpted stones decorate the Romanesque nave. They were possibly made by the sculptor Master Sigraf. Two fragmentary runestones are immured in the choir, one containing the phrase '...men from Lübeck killed...'. The choir portal is decorated with sculptured capitals.

Inside, the nave is dominated by a large painted ceiling, dating from 1697. In the middle of the painting is a depiction of the Final Judgement, and in circles in the corners Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The choir walls are furthermore decorated with frescos, quite worn. They depict apostles and a number of saints, including Saint Martin and Saint George and the Dragon. The frescos date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and some of them have been attributed to the Master of the Passion of Christ.

The church contains two medieval items of interest. It has a triumphal cross from the middle of the 15th century, probably made outside Gotland. The church also has a baptismal font made by the master sculptor Hegvald. It is considered one of the most interesting fonts on Gotland. Its reliefs depict the childhood of Christ but also other subjects.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

596, Halla, Sweden
See all sites in Halla

Details

Founded: c. 1200
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Consolidation (Sweden)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Katrin Kaule (3 years ago)
Very beautiful church
Emil Almberg (3 years ago)
Fine. Unusual ceiling paintings.
Lola H (3 years ago)
Beautiful church with painted ceiling.
Emil Knutsson (5 years ago)
Mantas Kapočius (7 years ago)
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.