Skänninge Vårfrukyrkan

Church

The church was built at the end of the 13th century and is unusually large and lavish.

When the church was consecrated in the early 1300s, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is therefore referred to as Vårfrukyrkan (Our Lady's Church). However, the inhabitants of Skänninge called it Garpekyrkan (Garp Church). During the Middle Ages, 'garpar' was a term used for Germans, referring to the relatively large German population that then lived in Skänninge.

The church is one of the few medieval churches in Östergötland that was built of brick and is unusually large and lavish. Several Germans donated substantial sums of money to Vårfrukyrkan, and many also had their graves placed here. The floor of the church contains a large number of grave slabs, most of which date from the 17th and 18th centuries, but there are also some medieval grave slabs preserved.

In the early 1700s, a great fire raged in Skänninge that also affected the church. Since people did not dare to enter the church, the services were initially held outdoors. Eventually, they ventured to celebrate the service inside the church. This was somewhat premature, as the two middle vaults collapsed the day after. No one was injured! Inside the church, you will find several items that escaped the fire.

In 1631, the congregation received the altarpiece painted by Johan Werner the Younger, which was modeled after Marten van Heemskerck's large altarpiece, created around 1540 for Linköping Cathedral. The pulpit is probably contemporary with the altarpiece. The older baptismal font made of Gotland limestone is dated to the 1300s.

There is said to have been some form of organ as early as the Middle Ages. At the end of the 1930s, the present organ was installed, built by the Danish organ-building company Marcussen & Søn, Aabenraa. It is an extension of the previous one. About ten of the stops have been preserved from the 18th century. During a renovation in 2006, the organ facade from the 1770s regained its pearl gray shade that was typical for the time.

The church is located in the center of Skänninge and belongs to the Skänninge parish.