Täby Church

Ceiling frescos by Albertus Pictor (c. 1470)

Man playing chess with death

Täby Church (Swedish: Täby kyrka) is a medieval church in Täby Municipality, in the province of Uppland north of Stockholm. The church is best known for its painted walls and ceilings by Albertus Pictor.^[1]

History

The church was built during the latter half of the 13th century. It was first constructed as a square hall. In the mid-14th century a vestry was added and about 100 years later the church porch was built. During the second half of the 15th century, the flat wooden ceiling was replaced by a vaulted ceiling. The altarpiece dates from the 1470s.^[2]

Paintings

The church is best known as one of the churches with mural paintings by Albertus Pictor (died 1511). The ceiling frescos are from the 1480s and, unlike many of his other works, were never whitewashed over. They include a picture of a man playing chess with Death, a motif that inspired Ingmar Bergman to make the movie The Seventh Seal. The main inspiration for the paintings was Biblia Pauperum, a collection of events from the Holy Bible. The church, together with the frescos, was comprehensively restored in 1994.^[2]

Furnishings

The altarpiece from the 1470s depicts the Golgotha scene and is flanked by a sculpture of St. Olof. The pulpit is from the 1630s and was originally placed in the chapel of the former Castle of Stockholm.^[2]

References

External links

• Täby kyrka (Swedish)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Täby kyrka.

Coordinates: 59°29′27″N 18°03′24″E / 59.4907416667°N 18.0567055556°E / 59.4907416667; 18.0567055556

v t e Churches in the province of Uppland, Sweden (Full list) Adelsö Almunge Alsike Angarn Balingsta Bro Danmark Enåker Fasterna Frötuna Funbo Gottröra Häverö Jumkil Markim Rö Roslags-Bro Sånga Skepptuna Skånela Skederid Solna Sundbyberg Täby Tensta Uppsala Cathedral Vaksala Yttergran Commons