Västeråker Church, Uppsala, Sweden

Västeråker church is one of few medieval churches in Sweden, which age, builder and building donations are well-known. The curch was built in 1331 and donated by Lady Ramborg, chatelaine of the near Wik Castle. Fine lightweight arches of the church are well-preserved and made with high quality, because Lady Ramborg hired labour who had been building the Uppsala Cathedral.

Most of the mural paintings date from the 1470’s. Lady Ramborg’s picture is carved in the rare copper cenotaph made in Flanders in 1327. The doors of altar have been made in Lübeck and moved from Tensta Church in 1870. The Renaissance style pulpit was made by Hans Hebel in 1659.

References:

Marianne Mehling et al. Knaurs Kulturführer in Farbe. Schweden. München 1987.

User Reviews

Panagiotis Kostoulas (4 years ago)
Very nice and clean place! Everything was tidy and peaceful!! In the middle of the country fields a very nice place! I didn't visit inside the church but I am sure that it will be as nice as the outside is. As an orthodox priest I am very happy to visit such beautiful places of our faith....

Kristoffer Ekstrand (5 years ago)
Nice church but god was not home.

Björn Söderberg (5 years ago)
Nice little church with big nice building. Perfect for coffee after a baptism in the spacious village yard

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Gamla Uppsala Church

The stone church of Gamla Uppsala, built over the pagan temple, dates from the early 12th century. Due to fire and renovations, the present church is only a remnant of the original cathedral.

Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.

The first Christian cathedral was probably built in the 11th century, but finished in the 12th century. The stone building may have been preceded by a wooden church and probably by the large pagan temple.

Västeråker Church

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