Posted by One of the most important historical churches in Sweden is found at the small village Husaby. According to Swedish legends the location of the church is right next to the spot where the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung was baptized in a well in 1008. He was the first Christian king in Sweden and after his baptism Sweden officially adopted Christianity as the official religion.
In the early parts of the 11th century a wooden church was built at the location of the legendary baptism. The wooden church was later torn down and replaced by the current stone church at the same location about a century later. The stone church is what you will see if you visit the ancient church today.
The church is open to the public and you can go inside to explore the old church. The walls inside the church are decorated with old paintings which date back to the period when Sweden was Catholic. This kind of paintings was covered after the reformation when the walls in the Scandinavian churches were all covered by white paint to hide the catholic paintings.
The original paintings were brought back to life when it was decided to restore the church in 1901. The layers of lime paint were carefully taken down so the old decorations became visible again for the first time in almost 400 years.
There are some minor sculptures in the church which were donated by the Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie who used to own the nearby Läckö Castle. The sculptures are hardly the most impressive you will find in an old church but they are old and a representation of what the old nobility used to donate to the local churches where they had their residence.
FrejaTravels 