The most beautiful religious buildings Götaland

Gothic church from the ^14th and ^15th centuries. The ^15th century tabernacle and the silver treasure in the crypt of the sacristy are worth seeing, as well as the imposing golden chandelier hanging from the vaults. If you look carefully, you will find a hat, the signature of the anonymous donor who gave this piece to the parish. The floor has been redone, as it is said that it had become uneven because of all the tombstones that had sunk on one side and risen on the other over the years!

A very beautiful building, whose originality lies in the double belfry that juts out from the imposing orange-red façade. According to legend, the church was first built in wood around the year 1000 by St. Sigfrid, who came from England (a sculpture shows him with his three nephews). In the 12th century it was rebuilt in stone, and the base of the tower still dates from this period. The cathedral found its final configuration around 1500.

Between the beginning of the ^12th and the end of the ^13th century, the city was an important commercial crossroads in the Hanseatic League. Slavic, Russian, German, Polish and Baltic communities settled in the various districts of Visby and, quite naturally, built places of worship there. Damaged by the attacks of the Danes or the Lübeck troops, by fires or by wear and tear over the centuries, seven churches stand today with their medieval skeletons between the ramparts. An exceptional and astonishing concentration that the visitor will discover during his walks. Take the time to stroll around and have a good look at everything, because there are many very interesting buildings to discover. Here is the list:

Sankta Katarina. On Stortorget, completed around 1250 by the Franciscan order. The ruins of this gothic church dominate the main square.

Sankt Nikolaus. Also called "the cultural cathedral" (Kulturdralen) where concerts and plays are held in summer.

St.Helge Ands. Built around 1200, this church is unique in Sweden: its bell tower is octagonal, like those in the medieval castles of Charlemagne's Europe.

Sankt Lars. A church whose architectural structure is characteristic of the Byzantine style.

The other ruined churches : Sankt Drotten, almost next to Sankt Lars, Sankt Clemens, Sankt Hans, of which almost nothing remains. So you'll have to imagine!

The church was built in 1893 by Helgo Zetterwall in the neo-Gothic style. The windows in the choir and the frescoes depicting the three wise men and the baptism of Jesus were painted in 1930 by the artist Albert Eldh. In the chapel to the left of the choir, a wardrobe dates from 1893. The sound is provided by large organs with 47 registers built in 1967. The choir organ with 6 registers dates from 1952, a real wonder!

The village has a white church from the ^12th century with a grey, pointed bell tower. The architecture is typical of medieval Gotland churches. The large square tower next to the bell tower is called a kastal, a fortified tower that protected the sacred building. Minor remains of an earlier Romanesque church are included in the present church. Research estimates that the tower dates from 1340. Its upper part was destroyed by a storm in 1522, after which the top floor was demolished and its present superstructure and spire were erected.

This church, with its bell tower decorated with both a cross and a rooster, dominates the city and offers a superb view of Gothenburg and its estuary. It was inaugurated in 1914 and offers an excellent example of the national romantic architectural trend. The exterior is quite austere, with red stones and bricks, tiles and a massive 60 m high bell tower. However, the interior is full of surprises: the imposing wooden frame immediately catches the eye.

About kilometres south appears the village of Bredsätra. The ruins of the St. Birgitta Chapel of the 5 th century are km beyond the coast. It's an excellent place for bird watching.

It can be reached on foot in a few minutes (towards the south). Built in 1685, it is probably the work of the architect Erik Dahlberg. The church is built entirely of wood and painted red. The wood for the church was transported from Riga, now the capital of Latvia, but in the 1680s the city belonged to Sweden and was the largest city in the kingdom. The Rosenbaum statue shows an old man wearing a hat and holding out his hand.

This former convent of the 1760 th century was remodelled by a very long aisle of plane trees, in, in a rococo castle where the ochre and pale pink of the crépi blend harmoniously. The garden, with terraces and fountains, was designed according to the maps of the gardens of the Versailles castle. The castle is not open to the public. Only gardens are accessible.

This church was built from the end of the ^12th century by the Germanic community of Visby. It became a cathedral in 1572 and underwent several structural changes during the Middle Ages. The characteristic black spires of its three steeples were added in the ^18th century. The interior is worth a visit. The medieval style is still predominant, embellished by baroque ornaments and remarkable stained glass windows. A beauty not to be missed!

Built in the early ^14th century, this brick church in the Gothic style is said to have been modeled after a church in Lübeck. The interior is very bright and contains a spectacular carved wooden altarpiece by German artists, as well as a sandstone pulpit and baptismal font carved in the very early ^17th century by a local craftsman named Daniel Tommisen (active between 1582 and 1603). It has also preserved the remains of medieval frescoes visible in the chapel.