Historical Gotland
Brochure: The churches in the Diocese of Visby (PDF)
An island of churches
Wherever you happen to be on Gotland, you’re never far from a church. In Visby, there’s a medieval church ruin on practically every corner. Out in the country, there are over 90 churches. Obviously, they played an important role in Gotland society, and they still do.
Brochure: The churches in the Diocese of Visby (PDF)
An island of churches
Wherever you happen to be on Gotland, you’re never far from a church. In Visby, there’s a medieval church ruin on practically every corner. Out in the country, there are over 90 churches. Obviously, they played an important role in Gotland society, and they still do.
From sacrifice to christening
According to the Gutasaga, Gotland was Christianized by the Norwegian
king Olaf the Holy, who was fleeing from his enemies and anchored in Akergarn
(Akergarn = S:t Olofsholm, in Hellvi). A man named Ormika received the new
faith from Olaf and built a chapel at the place where he had been converted.
Even in those days, the islanders were a widely travelled people, and Gotland
merchants were accustomed to seeing Christian ritual during their travels.
By the time Olaf reached Gotland, there were certainly those who had already
converted to the new faith. The battle against the old gods was eventually
won by the new Christian God some time during the 11th century.
The heyday
The first churches were probably privately built by wealthy families.
They were fairly simple wooden structures, often erected on the site
of ancient cult centres. During the 12th century, when Christianity had
become better organised and Gotland had become part of the diocese of Linköping,
churches became larger and were built of stone. The major period of church
building coincided with Gotland’s own heyday as a major regional power.
Heavenly heights
With its Triumphal Crucifix, the side-altar, the high altar, mural paintings,
stained glass and sculptures, the interior of the new churches would
have been truly magnificent. The arrival of the churches saw the introduction
of a new local unit – the parish, whose inhabitants all attended one
and the same church.
Everyday faith
Everyday life, too, was filled with devotion. Crosses were
erected on many farms, and on special occasions the local people would parade
round the church and fields in a ceremonial procession headed by a cross.
The bishop, who resided in Linköping, came to Gotland at best once every three years to inaugurate churches, carry out confirmations, visit his diocese and ordain new priests.
The bishop, who resided in Linköping, came to Gotland at best once every three years to inaugurate churches, carry out confirmations, visit his diocese and ordain new priests.
Poor monks and magnificent
monasteries
Monasteries and abbeys were also part of medieval life. The Cistercian
monks erected an imposing monastery in the parish of Roma, which they
named Gutnalia. In Visby there was a nunnery for the Cistercian nuns,
Mons solis, or Solberga. The Franciscans had their own church at St. Catherine’s,
the Dominicans at St. Nicholas.
Vibrant religious life
The streets of Visby were thronged with foreign merchants, sailors from far and wide, monks and nuns, knights, city judges, priests, peasants, craftsmen and beggars.
There was a church on every practically every street corner. Outside the wall stood St. George’s hospital and church. The Church of the Holy Spirit lay inside the wall. The monastery churches of St. Nicholas and St. Catherine towered above the rooftops. St. Drotten’s, St. Olov’s, St Peter’s, St. John’s, St. Clement’s and St. Lars’ were parish churches.
There were also several churches that belonged to the associations of foreign merchants. One of them was St. Mary’s, the church of the Visby Germans, which later became a parish church and, later still, a cathedral.
There was a church on every practically every street corner. Outside the wall stood St. George’s hospital and church. The Church of the Holy Spirit lay inside the wall. The monastery churches of St. Nicholas and St. Catherine towered above the rooftops. St. Drotten’s, St. Olov’s, St Peter’s, St. John’s, St. Clement’s and St. Lars’ were parish churches.
There were also several churches that belonged to the associations of foreign merchants. One of them was St. Mary’s, the church of the Visby Germans, which later became a parish church and, later still, a cathedral.
Built on a thousand years of
history
Unmistakably medieval, the towers and spires of Gotland’s
sacred edifices reach up towards the sky. Every century has left its own legacy
in paintings, retables, pulpits, pews and organs.
Although divine worship has undergone many changes over the centuries, it is still remarkably similar to the medieval services held here almost one thousand years ago.
Although divine worship has undergone many changes over the centuries, it is still remarkably similar to the medieval services held here almost one thousand years ago.
The churches today
Services are still held in every church on Gotland. The combination
of past and present leaves almost nobody unmoved. The tension between the art
and architecture of the different epochs is palpable. Entering one of Gotland’s
churches is to enter a living place of worship, the heart of the parish.
