Country Sweden Diocese Visby | Denomination Church of Sweden | |
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Fide Church (Swedish: Fide kyrka) is a medieval Lutheran church in Fide on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Diocese of Visby.
History and architecture
Fide Church dates from the 13th century. Oldest are the nave and choir, while the tower was added slightly later. The roof lantern which gives the top of the tower its distinctive shape is however considerably later, from 1826.
The church lies in an unusually well-preserved medieval cemetery which is surrounded by a low wall in which three medieval gates still sits. The building material of the church is sandstone. The exterior of the church is rather barren, but rather unusually the church still keeps the original windows, which have never been enlarged.
Inside, the church is decorated with frescos from two different periods. The oldest are from the early 15th century and includes religious motifs as well as an inscription in latin that has been interpreted as a lamentation of the Battle of Visby in 1361. In translation it reads: "The field is burnt and the men cry, beaten and in pain under the sword." The other, somewhat later set of frescos depict scenes from the Passion of Christ and have been attributed to the Master of the Passion of Christ. Among the furnishings, especially the medieval (early 15th century) altarpiece deserves mention. The church furthermore has a triumphal cross from the time of the construction of the church, and one of the oldest pulpits on Gotland, from 1587.