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| Ängelholm Church Diocese of Lund Skåne, Sweden |
The church in Ängelholm (Skåne, Sweden) dates back to the early 18th century. It was then built on the ruins of an older wooden church that had been burnt down in a war back in 1565. The church has been through a number of renovations over the years. The altar piece is from 1941 and painted by a Swedish artist, Torsten Nordberg (1900-1962). I think that stained glass window is by him as well.
(Photos from July, 2019)
From visiting many churches on our road trips the past few years, I have noted that "baptismal trees" is a growing new tradition. The shape of the tree may vary (and may not always even be a tree), but on it you'll find name tags with the names of those recently christened in the church.
A theology essay I found online draws the conclusion that the tradition seems to have arisen in the 1990s, with the purpose to strengthen the bond between those who regularly visit the church for Sunday services, and those who perhaps only come there to attend private baptism ceremonies.
The Church of Sweden is an Evangelical Lutheran national church. It became Lutheran in 1593 and remained a state church until 2000. It is still the largest Christian denomination in Sweden and still retaining a certain exceptional position. Liturgically it is "high church" even if practices may vary a bit from one place to another.
Inspired Sunday #327
...such a beautiful church with element of the old and new. The artwork behind the altar is wonderful. The baptismal trees is something that I have never seen before. Thanks for sharing this beautiful church.
ReplyDeleteIt lokks like a church with a good atmosphere - serious where it needs to be, but not in a cold way. I have seen batismal trees in severals churches over the past few years, of various denominations, and think it is a good way to keep a place feeling more alive.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting to know, Meike - I was not sure how widely spread the tradition of baptismal trees was. But I agree, they do contribute to pointing out that the churches are "alive" and not just museums :)
DeleteI'd never heard of a baptismal tree, but it's a nice idea and could catch on! I was interested in the font although you did not have a close up of it. I have seen some very interesting fonts lately in English churches.
ReplyDeleteJenny, we visited a lot of old churches on this trip, but most of them very briefly. And in all of them there are so many details that it's often rather haphazard what happens to catch my eye (and that of my camera!) for a closer look. I'm hoping to do more Sunday posts from the other churches we visited in the weeks/months to come.
Deleteanother beautiful church, both inside and outside. love that tall steeple
ReplyDeleteSandra, we stopped at a lot of different types of churches during the trip. Some were open and others not. More photos to come... ;)
DeleteYou went in and looked around, what a treat!! It is lovely, and for some reason reminds me of some of the Spanish ones around New Mexico and California. But not the outside, which is for sure traditional church. I had no idea about the trees, what a lovely idea!! they are kind of like the Tree Of Life! Wooden chairs, and no pews, different!
ReplyDeleteGinny, I don't have a photo that shows the pews but I'm pretty sure that if there hadn't been any, then I would have taken a photo of that, as that would indeed have been unusual! (for an old church especially) To also have a some chairs up front or in a side chapel that can be arranged differently for different purposes is quite common, though.
DeleteWha a beaautiful little church, thanks for showing us
ReplyDelete