Vänge Church, Vänge, Sweden

The Romanesque church tower is the oldest part of the church. It was built circa 1200. Originally it was attached to a Romanesque church, the nave and choir of which however was replaced with the presently visible Gothic parts at the end of the 13th century. The sacristy is the only non-medieval part of the church; it was built in 1866. The exterior of the church is decorated with Romanesque reliefs, re-used from the earlier church and incorporated into the Gothic structure. Inside, the choir retains traces of original church frescos.

Several of the church fittings are medieval. The baptismal font dates from the 12th century and was made by the sculptor Hegvald; it is considered one of the artist's finest pieces. The church also houses a triumphal cross from the same century. The altarpiece is also medieval but was altered in the 17th century. Most of the other fittings, such as the pews and the pulpit, date from later centuries.

References:

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Piter Pan (7 years ago)
Kyrkan är uppförd av sten under medeltiden. Planen består av ett rektangulärt långhus, ett smalare rakt avslutat kor i öster, ett kyrktorn i väster samt en sakristia på norra sidan. Tornet uppfördes ursprungligen till en romansk kärnkyrka omkring 1200. Under 1200-talets senare hälft byggdes det befintliga långhuset och koret. Sakristian tillfogades 1866 efter ritningar av A.W. Lundberg. De tre kraftiga strävpelarna i norr och söder tillkom troligen före 1700-talet. Den äldre kyrkan var en så kallad "ikonisk kyrka" och bevarade reliefstenar, tillskrivna "Byzantios", återfinns inmurade i främst korets sydfasad. Grundmurar från denna kyrka påträffades vid en restaurering 1947-1950 utförd av arkitekt Erik Fant. Byggnadshistorien avspeglar sig tydligt i exteriören där det romanska tornet verkar oproportionerligt litet mot det gotiska långhuset. Tornet kröns av en åttkantig spira med klockvåning under skärmtak. Långhuset och det något lägre koret täcks av branta sadeltak. Kyrkan har fyra portaler, och södra långhusportalen har rikast utformning med bland annat reliefstenar från den tidigare kyrkan inmurade i vimpergen. Fönsteröppningarna har behållit sin ursprungliga långsmala form. Det enskeppiga långhuset täcks invändigt av två kryssvalv, delade genom en bred gördelbåge. En vid, spetsig triumfbåge leder till koret med sitt tregruppsfönster i öster. I väster leder en mindre muröppning till ringkammaren. Kor och ringkammare täcks av varsitt kryssvalv. Kalkmålningar från 1300-talet finns i koret. (Wikipedias text)

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