Torshälla Church
Encyclopedia
Torshälla Church is a Lutheran church building in Torshälla
, Sweden
, in the Church of Sweden
Diocese of Strängnäs
. It serves as the town parish church of Torshälla parish and is located at the Rådhustorget market square.
The present church building was originally erected in Romanesque style during the 12th century
at the old heathen sacrificial place of Torsharg. Torshälla was granted city rights in 1317, making the old church insufficient for the growing population of the town. A new nave
was added to the west, transforming the old nave into a choir
.
During the 15th century
, the church tower, church porch
and vaulted ceiling were added. The tower spire initially reached a height of 102 meters (335 ft.), making Torshälla Church a landmark
used for navigation on nearby Lake Mälaren and one of Sweden's tallest buildings at the time. After the tower spire
was destroyed in 1873, in a fire caused by a lightning strike, it was replaced with a low brick gabled roof.
Wooden sculptures depicting St. Bridget of Sweden
, St. Catherine of Vadstena, Saint Gertrude
and Saint George
are displayed in the church. The preserved 15th century ceiling paintings are attributed to the master painter Albertus Pictor
and include the oldest known depiction of eyeglasses in Sweden, showing Abraham
as a reading man wearing glasses.
Along the south wall a burial vault
was built during the 17th century for the family of the early industrialist and founder of Eskilstuna
's iron-working industry Reinhold Rademacher (1609-1668).
Torshälla
Torshälla is a locality situated in Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 7,614 inhabitants in 2005.Torshälla is for historical reasons normally referred to as a stad even though it does not have a population of 10,000 which is the limit defined by Statistics Sweden.Before the...
, 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....
, in the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
Diocese of Strängnäs
Diocese of Strängnäs
The Diocese of Strängnäs is a part of the Church of Sweden and has its seat in Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, south of Lake Mälaren. The diocese is made up of the two provinces Närke and Södermanland .The diocese was first a suffragan of the Diocese of Lund, which in 1104 was elevated to...
. It serves as the town parish church of Torshälla parish and is located at the Rådhustorget market square.
The present church building was originally erected in Romanesque style during the 12th century
12th century
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era. In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and is sometimes called the Age of the...
at the old heathen sacrificial place of Torsharg. Torshälla was granted city rights in 1317, making the old church insufficient for the growing population of the town. A new 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...
was added to the west, transforming the old nave into a choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
During the 15th century
15th century
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was the century which lasted from 1401 to 1500.Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, falls to emerging Ottoman Turks, forcing Western Europeans to find a new trade route....
, the church tower, church porch
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....
and vaulted ceiling were added. The tower spire initially reached a height of 102 meters (335 ft.), making Torshälla Church a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
used for navigation on nearby Lake Mälaren and one of Sweden's tallest buildings at the time. After the tower spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
was destroyed in 1873, in a fire caused by a lightning strike, it was replaced with a low brick gabled roof.
Wooden sculptures depicting St. Bridget of Sweden
Bridget of Sweden
Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...
, St. Catherine of Vadstena, Saint Gertrude
Saint Gertrude
Saint Gertrude may refer to:*Gertrude of Nivelles *Gertrude the Great...
and Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
are displayed in the church. The preserved 15th century ceiling paintings are attributed to the master painter 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,...
and include the oldest known depiction of eyeglasses in Sweden, showing Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
as a reading man wearing glasses.
Along the south wall a burial vault
Burial vault
Burial vault may refer to:*Burial vault , protective coffin enclosure*Burial vault , underground tomb...
was built during the 17th century for the family of the early industrialist and founder of Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
's iron-working industry Reinhold Rademacher (1609-1668).