# Fardhem Church

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{{Infobox church
| name             = Fardhem Church
| full_name        = 
| other_name       = 
| native_name      = Fardhem kyrka
| native_name_lang = [Swedish](/source/Swedish_language)
| image            = Fardhems kyrka - KMB - 16001000000694.jpg
| image_size       = 
| imagelink        = 
| alt              = 
| landscape        = 
| caption          = Fardhem Church, view of the exterior

| pushpin_map     = Sweden Gotland
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt = 
| pushpin_mapsize = 150px
| relief          = 
| map_caption     = Location on Gotland
| coordinates     = {{coord|57.2639|18.3415|format=dms|type:landmark_region:SE|display=inline,title}}
| osgraw          = 
| location        = 
| country         = [Sweden](/source/Sweden)
| denomination    = [Church of Sweden](/source/Church_of_Sweden)
| diocese         = [Visby](/source/Diocese_of_Visby)
}}
'''Fardhem Church''' ({{langx|sv|Fardhems kyrka}}) is a medieval church in [Fardhem](/source/Fardhem) on the Swedish island of [Gotland](/source/Gotland). The present-day church may have been preceded by a [stave church](/source/stave_church); the current church is one of the most well-preserved Romanesque churches on Gotland, built in stages from the 12th to 13th century. It belongs to the [Church of Sweden](/source/Church_of_Sweden) and lies in the [Diocese of Visby](/source/Diocese_of_Visby).

==History==
According to the [Gutasaga](/source/Gutasaga), one of the earliest churches on Gotland was built in Fardhem. If so, this was a stave church of which nothing remains today. Early graves found in the area however indicate that there might well have been a wooden church at the site of the presently visible one early on.<ref name="gotkyrkor">{{cite book |editor1-last=Lagerlöf|editor1-first=Erland|last= Lagerlöf|first= Erland|title= Gotlands kyrkor|language=sv|year= 1973|publisher= Rabén & Sjögren|location= Uddevalla|isbn= 9129410355|pages=133–134}}</ref><ref name="DMG">{{cite book |last= Andrén|first= Anders|language=sv|title= Det Medeltida Gotland. En arkeologisk guidebok|year= 2011|publisher= Historiska Media|location= Lund|isbn= 978-91-85873-83-8|pages=221–222}}</ref>

The church seen today is also of considerable age. It is a [Romanesque](/source/Romanesque_architecture) building, erected in stages from the end of the 12th century to the second quarter of the 13th century. Only the [vestry](/source/vestry) is later, added in 1871-72 and designed by [Axel Haig](/source/Axel_Haig) (known in Sweden by his original name Axel Herman Hägg.<ref name="gotkyrkor"/>

==Architecture==
The exterior of the church has a uniform, Romanesque appearance. It is considered to be one of the best-preserved Romanesque churches on Gotland (at least externally). Especially noteworthy is the [choir](/source/choir_(architecture)) portal. It is decorated with a few rather primitive sculpted elements, difficult to interpret. The work has been attributed to the locally active stone sculptor [Hegvald](/source/Hegvald)<ref name="signum">{{cite book |editor1-last=Karlsson|editor1-first=Lennart|last= Svanberg|first= Jan|title= Signums svenska konsthistoria: Den romanska konsten|language=sv|year= 1995|publisher= Signum|location= Lund|isbn= 91-87896-23-0|page=199}}</ref> but may also be the work of some unknown master from [Jutland](/source/Jutland). There are no comparable works on Gotland.<ref name="gotkyrkor"/><ref name="DMG"/>

The interior of the church is less well-preserved. Fragments of murals from the 14th century were discovered during a restoration in 1951–52, and are now again visible. The [baptismal font](/source/baptismal_font) is [Romanesque](/source/Romanesque_art), probably a work by the sculptor known by the [notname](/source/notname) [Semi-Byzantios](/source/Semi-Byzantios), but only the foot remains. Most other furnishings are from the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref name="gotkyrkor"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Fardhems kyrka}}

{{Churches on Gotland}}

Category:Churches in Gotland County
Category:Churches in the Diocese of Visby
Category:Romanesque architecture in Sweden
Category:Churches converted from the Roman Catholic Church to the Church of Sweden

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fardhem Church](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fardhem_Church) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fardhem_Church?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.