Tuesday, 12 July (continued) - Cups of Tea, and two more Churches
This mural was new to me, of course (typical of the street art of the 21st century) - but still served to remind me of endless cups of tea consumed in the company of friends during the years I lived here. :-)
Turning into a street leading towards Karlstad Cathedral.
Another cathedral hard to fit into my camera (just like the one in Linköping)! So again I'm borrowing a photo from Wikipedia, taken from another angle, to give you a better idea of the whole building:
There has been a church on the site since the 1300s. That one was burned down together with virtually the entire city in 1616. A new one was built, and became a cathedral in 1647. That one too was burned down, in 1719; and a new cathedral in Baroque style built and inaugurated in 1730. The roof and tower were again destroyed in a big fire in 1865, when almost all of Karlstad was again put in ashes. After that, the tower got its current neoclassical look. In the 20th century, various more restorations and renovations were made; the last one in 1998.
It was open, so I went inside. Although I did visit it a few times back in the 1970s/80s, I didn't have very detailed memories of the interior - only that it was huge. And while not as large as the cathedral in Linköping, it still seems a lot bigger than my interior photos below manage to convey.
I'm guessing the labyrinth between the altars is a fairly new addition. (I suppose meant for meditation/prayer walks.)
This candle-holder looks rather modern as well.
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| Organ |
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| Another balcony |
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| Stained glass windows |
Back in the previous century, this was the Mission Covenant church - built 1926-28. More recently that Swedish denomination merged with the Baptists (cf. my previous post) and the Methodists, and together they formed a new denomination called Equmenia-kyrkan (in English: 'Uniting Church in Sweden'). But this church in Karlstad is also known as just Tingvalla-kyrkan (after the part of the city where it's situated).
The inside of the church is gorgeous, and I love the artistic candleholder. And the mural, it is one of my favorites that I have ever seen!
ReplyDeleteGinny, I liked that mural, too. :)
DeleteThe inside of the cathedral is just lovely. The light from the windows and the lights in the alcoves give it a beautiful glow. Good to see that it has arisen after all the disasters.
ReplyDeletePauline, it was brighter inside than I remembered it, but then I've probably not been there since before the last refurbishment.
DeleteThe interior of the Cathedral is beautiful. I have been inside, but just past the doorway to have a peep, not a walk round - now I wish we'd taken time to explore. I love the quiet simplicity of Scandinavian churches - they seem to be so much more about the true purpose of the buildings.
ReplyDeleteCG, I think the current 'trend' is to preserve original features connecting to history, but add contemporary art and more practical arrangements as well.
DeleteI like the candleholder, but it doesn't seem to fit with all the gold leaf and elegance. it is beautiful and wonder why so many fires? must be in a forest?
ReplyDeleteSandra, lighting candles for prayer is something that I think has been introduced (or re-introduced) in our churches in later decades (both in the Church of Sweden and in some 'free' churches). All candle holders like that that I've seen in churches we visited on our holidays in recent years have been of fairly contemporary design. - As for the fires in the past, they spread easily because almost all the buildings then were made of wood. Karlstad and Borås are alike in that respect, both suffered major fires in the past and have very few old wooden buildings left.
DeleteI like the labyrinth and certainly could not have resisted walking it.
ReplyDeleteThe atmosphere is one of light and air, peace and calmness.
The mural is beautiful, too.
Meike, I would have tried that labyrinth if not for the fact that I was keeping one eye on my watch, having an appointment to meet my brother at the museum. (Trying to hurry through it seemed like missing the point...)
DeleteThe black candle holder looks rather out of place here. All the rest: windows, balconies, light fixtures, organ - seem to integrate just fine with the interior.
ReplyDeleteDuta, opinions seem to be divided on the candle holder :) Personally I like it!
DeleteSo much history there, I think the candle holder is standing out to me the most, it's awesome
ReplyDeleteAmy, I agree - and some things that stand out as rather modern additions to us now (like that candle holder) will with time become part of history as well...
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