Country Sweden Time zone CET (UTC+1) Population 505 (2014) Municipality Gotland Municipality | County Gotland County Area 43 km² Province Gotland | |
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Stenkyrka is a settlement in the northwest part of the island of Gotland, Sweden, where the medieval Stenkyrka Church is situated. Near the church is a minor settlement with a few houses. Formerly a socken, on 1 January 2016, it was reconstituted into the administrative area Stenkyrka District.
Contents
Map of 624 42 Stenkyrka, Sweden
History
This settlement is where the Stenkyrka spearhead was found. It is incised with the oldest known runic inscription known in Sweden.
In 2006, the Stenkyrka parish was expanded to include the sockens of Stenkyrka, Tingstäde, Martebo and Lummelunda.
One of the asteroids in the Asteroid belt, 10125 Stenkyrka, is named after this place.
Little Bjärs Grave Field
A bit east of the church in Stenkyrka is one of the largest grave fields on Gotland, the Little Bjärs Grave Field (Lilla Bjärs gravfält). Along one of the oldest roads in this part of the island, now not more than a trail, are more than 1,000 visible graves from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Most of the graves are cairns and circular tumuli. Bases for picture stones have been found in the field. They have remained after the picture stones have been moved and incorporated in the walls of the Stenkyrka Church. Some of these have later been moved to Gotland Museum.
The grave field is about 700 m × 500 m (2,300 ft × 1,600 ft) in a general northeast–southwest direction. It contains about 750 identifiable graves above ground, but it is difficult to ascertain the borders between the mounds. A number of the mounds have depressions in the middle, about ten have visible remains of cists made of limestone slabs, about 30 graves have grave orbs. Among the graves is also a stone ship. A large number of the graves have been damaged by modern constructions and farming. The modern road bisects the area in an angle to the old road that the field have been established around.