Lokrume kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, taking its name from Lauks, one of five farmsteads in the parish, whose name meant 'onion farm'. Its Romanesque stonework and tower have long marked this small rural community.
An earlier stone church stood on the site in the late 1100s, and parts of its walls survive in the north wall of the present building. Construction continued through the 1200s, with a new rib-vaulted chancel possibly modelled on St Trinitatis church in Visby, followed by the nave and finally the tower, known locally as Lokrume boddu, completed in 1277 when the church was consecrated. A local farmer, Hans Mårtensson of Lauks, is named as the church's master builder, though the dating of the tower's completion suggests building work spanned several generations.
The church retains much of its medieval character. Fragments of fifteenth-century wall paintings came to light during a recent interior renovation, while the quadratura (stone-block) decoration and scrollwork in the triumphal arch date from around 1250. The upper parts of the tower were later rebuilt, with the spire dated to 1752, and the sacristy's acanthus scrollwork added in the early 1700s.
Among the furnishings, the crucifix figure on the triumphal arch is dated to the 1100s and is considered an older type than works by the so-called Viklau Master. The font is attributed to the stonemason Majestatis and dated to around 1160. Sources differ slightly on later fittings: the pulpit and altarpiece are dated to the 1600s in one account and to 1707 in another. A floor slab in the choir commemorates the fourteenth-century law-speaker Gervidus Lauks, buried in 1380.
Outside, a private burial ground at Hammars and the separate Bliesath burial ground, consecrated in 1870 and given to the parish in 1977, add to the site's layered history. A pilgrim route between St Olof's chapel at Olofsholm and Visby passes by the church, linking it to Gotland's wider tradition of pilgrimage.
The church has a mechanical organ built in 1891 by the Stockholm firm Åkerman & Lund, a modest but characteristic instrument of its period. A scale model of the church tower is held at Gotlands Fornsal museum. The building was cleaned, renovated and reconsecrated in 2013 by Bishop Sven-Bernhard Fast.
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Norra Gotlands pastorat
Norra Gotlands pastorat
Lokrume kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, taking its name from Lauks, one of five farmsteads in the parish, whose name meant 'onion farm'. Its Romanesque stonework and tower have long marked this small rural community.
Lokrume kyrka, 621 74, Visby
Explore this church: Lokrume kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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View church details: Hamra kyrkaSources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.
Provider catalogue data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser, CC BY 4.0. Separately credited descriptions retain their stated source and licence terms. Catalogue and visiting data reformatted from the provider. The English guide combines and abridges separately credited sources below.
Provider record updated: 20 Jan 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: faa0d462-714e-4485-beb3-00dce7a7df58
This English guide combines, abridges and translates the sources below with AI assistance, with editorial contributions by Churches in Sweden. It has not been independently verified. The adapted guide text is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographs and map data have their own terms.