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Gotlandic Picture Stones - The Online Edition

GP 36 Bro kyrka 11









PARTS

mer grejer





Measured length
0.0
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Parish Find Location ⓘ
Bro

Find Location ⓘ
Bro church

Find Context Classification ⓘ
Church

Coordinate Find Location (lat) ⓘ
6397282

Coordinate Find Location (long) ⓘ
707221

Parish Present Location ⓘ
Bro

Present Location ⓘ
Bro church

Present Location Classification ⓘ
Church
In-Loco

Coordinate Present Location (lat) ⓘ
6397282

Coordinate Present Location (long) ⓘ
707221

Year of Discovery ⓘ
2001

Material
Limestone

Height ⓘ
20

Width ⓘ
150

Thickness ⓘ
20

Lindqvist Type 

Lindqvist Shape 

Runic Inscription or not ⓘ
No

Context and Discovery ⓘ
On the site of the present church in Bro, a Romanesque stone church with a nave and a choir with apse was built in the middle or second half of the 12th century (on the building history: Lundmark 1929; Lagerlöf/Svahnström 1991, pp. 101–104; on the new findings based on excavations and dendrochronological investigations: Widerström 2001a–c; Andrén 2011, pp. 167–169.). Somewhat later, in 1214, the Romanesque tower standing today was added, the beams of which have been dendrochronologically dated. Whether there was already a wooden church on the site before the stone building remains unclear; no remains of a predecessor building could be found. In the course of the 13th century, today’s large rectangular choir with sacristy was completed, and around 1300 the new Gothic nave. Consequently, only the tower and a few stones of an animal frieze in the south side of the nave have been preserved from the early stone church; the foundation of the Romanesque nave was confirmed during excavations in 2001. Under the nave of the church, in addition to medieval and modern burials, some grave finds from the 11th century were recovered; they belong to the group of kyrkogårdsfynden (ʻchurchyard findsʼ). A dress pin from the 10th century found in the tower could be explained as a single find but also allows the possibility that the church was built on a pre-Christian burial ground. From the 15th century at the latest, Bro church was an important pilgrimage and sacrificial church, which kept a Holy Cross relic (Lundmark 1929, pp. 254–256; Stolt 2007, pp. 12–14; Pernler 2013, p. 92). According to popular tradition, there was a healing spring next to or even inside the church (in the sacristy) as late as the 18th century. This circumstance, as well as a tree trunk walled into the tower in a curious way, the root of which protrudes from the west wall, have given rise to the assumption that the church was built on a pre-Christian cult site. However, there is no compelling evidence for this (Oehrl 2016a).

In addition to the picture stones which were published by Sune Lindqvist in 1941/42 and the fragment in the outer wall of the nave gable, which came into view in 1955 (GP 579 Bro kyrka 7), four more monuments were found in 2001 in the course of excavations in the nave and tower (Widerström 2001a, p. 173; 2001b–c) – two kerbstones in the tower (GP 35 Bro kyrka 10 and GP 36 Bro kyrka 11), which were used as foundation stones in the south wall in 1214, a fragment of a picture stone under the floor of the nave (GP 47 Bro kyrka 9) and another one in the southern masonry of the nave, which probably served as stepping-stone at the entrance of the 12th-century Romanesque predecessor church, or as part of an even older building (GP 46 Bro kyrka 8). The stones 9 through 11 are still in situ, while stone number 8 has been positioned at the churchyard wall, in the western entrance.
SO
GP0579
GP 35 Bro kyrka 10
GP 47 Bro kyrka 9
GP 46 Bro kyrka 8

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
Bro kyrka 11 was found next to GP 35 Bro kyrka 10 during the 2001 excavation. Both stones were found protruding from the south wall at a maximum width of 20 cm and are about 20 cm thick (Widerström 2001c, p. 8, figs. 2, 4). Most of Bro kyrka 11 was covered by the south and west walls and only the upper convex edge was visible to a length of 150 cm. The stone does not appear to be damaged, but it is impossible to determine if the stone is complete since it is covered by the wall. Both stones were left in place under the tower chamber floor and are currently inaccessible.
CJL
GP 35 Bro kyrka 10

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
Unlike GP 35 Bro kyrka 10, no mention is made of any decoration or carving on Bro kyrka 11 and there are no images of the stone. However, it is similarly compared to the Väskinde type kerbstones, possibly based on its similar length and shape (Widerström 2001c, p. 8, fig. 5).
CJL
GP 35 Bro kyrka 10

Type and Dating ⓘ
Bro kyrka 11 is categorized as a kerbstone (kantsten) by Jan Peder Lamm in his catalogue (Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 205). The length of the stone makes it likely that it is a type of picture stone that Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp.31–33, 110) also categorized as a kerbstone (Randstein) that he includes within his ʻAbschnittʼ A which dates to circa AD 400–600 (see also Oehrl 2019a, pp. 8–10). According to Lindqvist (1933, pp. 105, 107; 1941/1942 I, pp. 31–33), the kerbstones formed an edge chain which surrounded a grave mound, possibly with an erected Type A picture stone in the center. However, no evidence has been found to confirm that any of the erected Type A picture stones were placed within a grave mound (Larkin 2023a, p. 50).
CJL

References ⓘ
Widerström 2001a, p. 173; 2001b; 2001c, p. 8, figs. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7; Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 205.

Title
GP 36 Bro kyrka 11

RAÄ ID ⓘ
Bro 24

Jan Peder Lamm ID
451


Last modifed Jun 25, 2024

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Developer Data
Identifier: GP0036-3D
ID: 4570
3D-model
Part1 Depth null
Part1 RGB null