Väskinde kyrka stands at the heart of its village a few miles north-east of Visby on Gotland. This medieval limestone church, with its distinctive tower and gothic windows, holds well-preserved medieval wall paintings and a remarkable Romanesque font.
The earliest church here was a small apsidal building from the later 1100s, traces of which survive in the north-east corner of the nave. During the second half of the 1200s the church was substantially rebuilt, with the current chancel added, followed by the nave and tower around 1300. The result is a limestone building with whitewashed façades, steep saddle roofs and pointed gothic window tracery, particularly noticeable in the nave.
Inside, cross-vaulted ceilings cover the nave, chancel and tower room. Wall paintings dating from four periods, spanning the mid-1200s to the early 1500s, were uncovered during a restoration in 1953 led by architect Erik Fant. Among the surviving scenes are two Passion friezes, Saint George and the dragon, the coronation of the Virgin Mary, and Christ enthroned. Consecration crosses with candle holders can be seen along the walls throughout the church.
The font, standing on a stone plinth near the back of the church under the tower arch, is attributed to the twelfth-century stonemason known as Majestatis and may originate from the earlier church building. Its carved reliefs depict Christ as judge of the world alongside scenes from the childhood of Jesus; the colours visible today were added in the eighteenth century. The triumphal crucifix is thought to date from around 1240, and a stone sacrament cabinet from the 1200s in the north wall of the chancel is decorated with carved figures of Saint Catherine and Saint James the Elder.
The tower's thick walls contain two small chambers: a private prayer room with a squint opening onto the church interior, and a space that may once have served as a sacristy. The current organ was installed in 2000, replacing an earlier instrument from 1954; nearby, a screen conceals climate-control equipment for the church's textiles, said to be the first of its kind in the country.
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Norra Gotlands pastorat
Norra Gotlands pastorat
Väskinde kyrka stands at the heart of its village a few miles north-east of Visby on Gotland. This medieval limestone church, with its distinctive tower and gothic windows, holds well-preserved medieval wall paintings and a remarkable Romanesque font.
Väskinde kyrka, 622275, Visby
Explore this church: Väskinde kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Vallstena kyrka, on Gotland, is a medieval parish church notable for its unusual double-nave layout, a legacy of an ambitious but only partly completed rebuilding of an earlier, smaller church.
Vallstena kyrka 1, 624 32, Slite
View church details: Vallstena kyrkaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Eskelhems prästgård Eskelhem Prästgården 181
View church details: Strandkyrkan i GnisvärdFleringe kyrka is a medieval limestone church in northernmost Gotland, standing near a couple of farmsteads on open ground within an otherwise wooded parish. Its chancel, nave and tower date from the late thirteenth century,…
View church details: Fleringe kyrkaOthems kyrka, on Gotland northeast of Visby, is a medieval limestone church whose interior preserves remarkable medieval wall paintings, including a much-admired depiction of the Madonna and Child and scenes of Christ with his apostles.
Othem kyrka, 624 46, Slite
View church details: Othems 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: 17 Jun 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: d88facfa-8460-4a42-b8c7-157e0360ff28
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.