Resteröds kyrka

Pilgrimage Church

In Resteröd Church, people have celebrated worship since the 1100s. The imposing font of soapstone with its two dragons is dated to approximately 1090. This is how the very first churches were built, with a mighty arched vault intended to reinforce the sense of the chancel as a sacred space. Generations have since left their mark on the church - the pulpit, the pews, the bridal chair, and the paintings on the ceiling.

Many have walked the trails around Resteröd, perhaps along the old church path that winds from Resteröd Church towards Ljungskile, through the farmland, then into sparse woodland to reach the sea via the former Restenäs school. Read more about pilgrimages in the new Pilgrim Folder, available in the parish's churches and at nutidapilgrimer.se.

RESTERÖD IS WORTH A MASS

Resteröd is worth a Mass! That is what we in the church group concluded a couple of years ago. The church is small and beautiful and gives an intimate sense of community. It would suit a Mass that was meditative and stripped-back. We also wanted to highlight the value of participation by laypeople and musicians.

Therefore, a few times each term we celebrate the "Resteröd Mass". It is a time of reflection, not least ahead of the coming week and its commitments. We have a theme for each occasion, and together, priest and laypeople, shape meditative elements around it. Besides the celebration of communion, there is also an opportunity for symbolic, concrete reflections at the font and the light-bearer, such as placing stones in the font's water or lighting candles. Throughout the Mass, singing and music are important elements.

Welcome!

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History

In 1929 the ceiling paintings were uncovered, having previously been painted over. At that time the chancel ceiling, which had lacked a painting, was also given one.

The church bell is dated 1663, and the current bell tower is from 1859. In 1919-1920 an extensive renovation took place, which broadly gave the church its present appearance. Both the church porch and the sacristy were added at that time.

The church has fine joinery and woodwork. The pulpit is a Renaissance piece, possibly from the end of the 1500s. The altarpiece is from the 1600s, as are probably also the front of the gallery and the pew doors. The ceiling paintings are from the 1700s.

The original font is from the early 1100s and is now housed at the Gothenburg City Museum. A copy of the richly decorated old soapstone font features dragons and interlace patterns on a square-shaped basin. The motifs are fascinating; here the medieval idiom and world of thought come close to us.

It is one of the few medieval churches that still has its triumphal arch intact, the arch that separates the nave from the chancel. This particular construction is typical of churches built in the 1100s. Triumphal arches were usually torn down in the 1600s-1700s because they obstructed the view.

The first time Resteröd Church is mentioned in a written document is in the year 1388, in Archbishop Eystein Aslaksson's land register, "the Red Book" (den Röde Bog). But even then it was already several hundred years old.