Solna Church
Encyclopedia
Round church
A round church is a special type of church construction, having a completely circular plan. Round churches are often found in Sweden and Denmark and were popular church constructions in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries.Round churches should not be confused with the older types of...
in the borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
Solna
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The church is located on the headland between Brunnsviken and Ulvsundasjön, at the southern end of the cemetery Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of Metropolitan Stockholm. The cemetery is located in the municipality of Solna.Inaugurated on June 9, 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables....
. The oldest parts of the church are from the later 12th century, a Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
fortress church built in stone.
Today the church consists of a roundhouse
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
, weaponhouse
Church porch
A church porch is a room at a church's main entrance.In Scandinavia the porch of a church is often called by names meaning weaponhouse. Visitors stored weapons there because of a prohibition against carrying weapons into the sanctuary, or into houses in general....
, choir, nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
, and two grave choirs.
Church buildings
The oldest part of the church, the roundhouse, originates from the late 12th century, and was especially built for defense purposes. Attached to this round center is a weaponhouse (south), a rectangularRectangle
In Euclidean plane geometry, a rectangle is any quadrilateral with four right angles. The term "oblong" is occasionally used to refer to a non-square rectangle...
choir to the east, and a rectangular nave to the west. North of the choir is the sacristy, and to the east an octagonal grave choir. There is a second grave choir on the south side of the nave. The roundhouse (central tower) is covered by a tall cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
, which dominates the appearance of the church. The choir was added in the 13th century. The oldest part of the nave is from the 14th century, and was extended during the 15th century, when the weaponhouse and sacristy were built.
Decorations
The church achieved large parts of its interior under the patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie
Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie
Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie was a Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three of the five offices counted as the Great Officers of the Realm, namely Lord High Treasurer, Lord High Chancellor and Lord High...
. In 1674 the western portal was added, a sculptured portal originally constructed for Karlbergs slott in 1637, and moved to Solna church in 1674. In 1708 Queen Ulrika Eleonora commissioned a grave choir dedicated to count Tomas Polus
Tomas Polus
Tomas Polus was a Swedish statesman and diplomatist, counsellor for queen Hedvig Eleonora from 1671, ennobled in 1673, teacher for the young prince Karl , secretary of state from 1697, and appoined count from 1698.Solna Church in Stockholm has a grave choir dedicated to Polus, constructed on...
. The roof was destroyed in a fire in 1723, and the current cupola was built after this incident. The Lange grave choir was constructed in the 1780s. In 1883 the church was given a roof of copper plates.
A major restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
took place in 1928 under supervision of architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Erik Fant, when the church's medieval
Middle age
Middle age is the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age. Various attempts have been made to define this age, which is around the third quarter of the average life span of human beings....
paintings were recovered. The medieval mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s from ca. 1440 are attributed to Albertus Pictor
Albertus Pictor
Albertus Pictor , also called Albert Pictor, Albert Målare and Albrekt Pärlstickare , is the most famous late medieval Swedish painter, known for his wallpaintings surviving in numerous churches in southern and central Sweden.-Career:Albertus was originally called Albertus Immenhusen,...
.
The choir is dominated by the altar centre-piece, sculpted in wood in 1666 by Hans Jerling. The centre-piece frames two oil paintings with biblical motifs, and is crowned by a wood-sculptured Madonna from the late 16th century, while the altar is made of brick and covered by a limestone plate.
Literary reference
Solna Church is mentioned in Carl Michael BellmanCarl Michael Bellman
was a Swedish poet and composer. Bellman is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a very important influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature in general, to this day....
's song "Haga" (Fredmans Sånger No. 64).
Other round churches
Other Swedish round churches are Bromma ChurchBromma Church
Bromma kyrka is a so-called round church in the borough Bromma in Stockholm, Sweden. The oldest parts of the church were built in the later 12th century as a fortress church, and the church is among Stockholm's oldest buildings....
, Munsö Church, Voxtorps Church, Hagby Church, Valleberga Church, Skörstorps Church and Vårdsbergs Church.
See also
- Ulriksdal PalaceUlriksdal PalaceUlriksdal Palace is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the National City Park in Solna, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called Jakobsdal after its owner Jacob De la Gardie, who had it built by architect Hans Jacob Kristler in 1643-1645 as a country retreat...
- Hedvig Eleonora ChurchHedvig Eleonora ChurchHedvig Eleonora Church is a church in central Stockholm, Sweden .The church was consecrated in 1737 and is named after the Swedish Queen Hedvig Eleonora , wife of King Charles X of Sweden...
- Katarina Church
- Maria Magdalena ChurchMaria Magdalena ChurchMaria Magdalena Church is a church on Södermalm in central Stockholm, Sweden.The church plan has a nave but no aisles. In its eastern end is a three-sided choir and the transept taking up three bays. In the corners of the crossing are enlargement from various periods, all serving liturgical...
- Sofia Church
- Spånga ChurchSpånga ChurchSpånga kyrka is a church in the Spånga-Tensta borough in Stockholm, Sweden. The oldest part of the church origins from the time period 1175 – 1200. Large reconstructions and enhancements took place during the 14th century and the 15th century....