Kumla Church is best known for its vibrant, well-preserved paintings by Albertus Pictor. In the 15th century, many people in these areas wanted to renovate their churches and beat arches, that is, remodel the ceilings, from simple wooden roofs to brick arches, just as in the new large boasting buildings, the cathedrals. The tile roofs were then painted - in Kumla […]
Read more ...Albertus Pictor - the great church painter of the Middle Ages
Albertus Pictor is the 15th century's great artist in our part of the world. He painted his fantastic scenes in about 30 Swedish churches. In Fjärdhundraland are some of the most well-preserved of Albert Målare's churches: Härkeberga, Kumla and Härnevi churches, and Österunda with Sweden's oldest painted picture of a skier. Make an excursion in Albertus Pictor's footsteps! Between the churches you travel the same medieval paths on which Albertus traveled. This is an excursion to the 15th century ... but with better food.
In the 15th century, it had modern, fine material tile used in fine buildings in Stockholm and in the large cathedrals. When the small churches in the Mälardalen were renovated, the modern material also came here. Uppsala cathedral which was inaugurated in 1435 - towards the end of the 15th century many small churches were also vault in brick instead of the old wooden roofs. Then the vaults would also be painted with biblical motifs and a painter was called.
The most prominent and active church painter at the end of the 15th century was Albert Målare, Albertus Pictor, who from his workshop in Stockholm went out to churches in Uppland, Västmanland, Södermanland and Norrbotten. He and his assistants painted the motifs of the Bible, but with unusually vivid, individual people in the lead roles, in the attire of the times. It is speculated that he used the locals as models.
No surfaces were left empty, but instead were filled with leaf vines and with small imaginative figures, caricatures, monsters, exotic animals and other things that may have aroused the congregation's astonishment as they sat and listened to a sermon in Latin. Today we are flooded with images, but Albertus is said to have stood for the man in the pew for a whole new dimension, which brought the stories of the Bible to life and aroused the imagination about worlds beyond everyday life.
Read more about Albertus Pictor on Wikipedia.
Härkeberga church
Härkeberga church is filled with paintings by Albertus Pictor. Not a centimeter is empty, everywhere there are pictures of biblical figures, the essence of folk beliefs, exotic animals and many other things.
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Open: Open Friday-Sunday 11am to 4pm in May 2020.
Härnevi Church
Härnevi Church is located in an idyllic village environment with lush trees and tarred bell tower. The church itself is being renovated but the parish home is open every day during the summer. There you can enjoy good shopping, trade fair trade products and find bargains in the flea market. There are schoolchildren who take care of the cafe and bake.
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Open: Unfortunately no café or open church during the summer of 2020.
Österunda church
Österunda kyrka is a typical whitewashed upland medieval church with the fallow red bell tower at a height just next door. The church was built in the late 13th century and during the second half of the 15th century the church was filled with paintings by Albertus Pictor. Here one can, among other things, look at Sweden's oldest painted picture of a skier. (In Balingsta, not […]
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