Täby Church

Täby Church
Täby kyrka
External view of the church External view of the church
Location	Täby kyrkby
Country	Sweden
Denomination	Church of Sweden
Administration
Parish	Täby
Diocese	Stockholm

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.

History

Man playing chess with death

The church was built during the second half of the 13th century. It was first constructed as a square hall church. 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. A runestone is immured in the church porch.

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 a famous scene in the movie The Seventh Seal. The motif is very unusual, known only from one other source.

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.

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.

Gallery

• Taby kyrka altar.jpg

  Interior view towards the altar

• Taby kyrka ceiling painting3.jpg

  The decorated vaults

• Runsten inmurad i kyrkogrunden.jpg

  Runestone immured in the church porch

External links

• Täby kyrka (Swedish)