Södra Råda Old Church
Church in Gullspång Municipality, Sweden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Södra Råda Old Church (Swedish: Södra Råda gamla kyrka) was an early 14th-century timbered church in the parish of Södra Råda in Gullspång Municipality, Västra Götaland in Sweden. It was one of the oldest preserved wooden churches in the country.
| Södra Råda Old Church | |
|---|---|
Södra Råda gamla kyrka | |
Södra Råda Old Church | |
 Södra Råda Old Church | |
| Location | Gullspång Municipality |
| Country | Sweden |
| Denomination | Church of Sweden |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Skara |
| Parish | Amnehärad |
The paintings covering the walls and the trefoil-shaped wooden ceiling of the church were considered one of the best and best-preserved examples of Scandinavian wall-painting from the Middle Ages. The oldest, anonymous, paintings in the chancel dated to 1323. Later paintings in the nave dated from 1493 and were signed by a painter named Amund.
The church was burnt down on 12 November 2001.[1] A mentally ill man convicted for the murder of a five-year-old girl in 2003 also confessed to and was convicted for the burning of the church.[2] A project led by the Swedish National Heritage Board has since excavated the site, and a reconstruction of the church, using medieval methods of construction, has been completed and opened in 2022.
