GP 224 Källunge kyrka VI

Context and Discovery
An apsidal choir built between 1100 and 1150 wasthe first part of the church, while the present nave and the tower date to around 1150. The small Romanesque choir, however, was replaced by a new and much larger Gothic style choir with sacristy. Both the choir and the sacristy were not finished before 1350. The tiny Romanesque nave could not be used as such anymore and therefore the ʻoversizedʼ choir serves as main part of the church. Six picture stone fragments embedded into the floor of the small nave were published by Sune Lindqvist in 1941/42 (GP 219–224 Källunge kyrka I–VI). In 1984, Beata Böttger-Niedenzu discovered three previously unknown picture stone fragments inside the choir of the church: GP 226–228 Källunge kyrka 8–10. Between 1979 and 1984, another possible picture stone was discovered in front of the sacristy door (GP 225 Källunge kyrka 7). Regarding the stones in the small nave, Lindqvist explains the situation as follows:

“Nos IV and V definitely are parts of one – or possibly two – upright picture stone(s). The others either belong to picture stones, too, or to kerbstones. All these fragments are kept in the Romanesque nave; their upwards-facing obverses are part of the flooring in this area and are flush with the floor. Nos I–V, however, are integrated into the walls, from which they protrude to a width of up to about 30 cm. No. VI gives the impression of being built into the wall in the same way, but closer examination reveals that the exposed part of the stone does not extend into the masonry. As the room has such an edging all around – which perhaps served as a bench earlier, when the floor level was lower – and this in several places is completely covered with lime mortar, it cannot be ruled out that more fragments of picture stones might be observed here in the future. Nos I–III were discovered and sketches drawn of them in 1912; the others were recognised as parts of picture stones only in 1932. Nos I–III are lying in a west-east row at the south side, No. I with its western edge 1 m to the east of the southern portal, No. IV at the west wall just south of the opening to the tower, No. V as second stone in the south wall (counted from the south-west corner), No. VI at the north wall, close to the altar in the north-east corner” (1941/42 II, p. 78).

Since the publication of “Gotlands Bildsteine”, the floor covering of the nave seems to have been renewed. As a result, the stones †GP 222–224 Källung kyrka IV–VI (RAÄ Källunge 54:5–7) are today untraceable and Lindqvist’s descriptions of stones I–III (RAÄ Källunge 54:2–4) suggest that they could be better examined in his time than today. This renewal must have taken place before 1977, as the stones IV–VI could not be found already during the RAÄ inventory. Stones I–III are only documented in the form of drawings (Roosval 1935, fig. 300; Lindqvist 1941/42 II, figs. 425–427), and no illustrations of stones IV–VI are available at all, either in Lindqvist’s book or in the archives in Stockholm and Visby.
GP 219 Källunge kyrka I
GP 220 Källunge kyrka II
GP 221 Källunge kyrka III
GP 222 Källunge kyrka IV
GP 223 Källunge kyrka V
GP 226 Källunge kyrka 8
GP 227 Källunge kyrka 9
GP 228 Källunge kyrka 10
GP 225 Källunge kyrka 7

Measurements, Material and Condition
Lindqvist described the fragment as follows: “Limestone slab, about 10 cm thick. The obverse is severely damaged by footsteps, the outward-facing narrow side is hewn flat at right angles towards the obverse, probably with a chamfer in between. This narrow side is preserved to a length of up to 50 cm, with secondary break edges to the left and right. Strangely, this stone – secondarily? – is hewn flat also on the narrow side abutting the wall that runs parallel to the outward-facing narrow side at a distance of 31 cm” (1941/42 II, p. 79).

Description of Ornament and Images
Lindqvist does not mention whether remains of the decoration have been preserved on the stone.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
It remains unclear what type of picture stone the fragment represents. Based on Lindqvist’s description and due to the lack of further information, it is unclear why this now untraceable stone should be regarded as a picture stone at all. Lindqvist seems to have regarded the stone as a Type A monument, dating to circa AD 400–600, most probably as a kerbstone.

References
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 79.

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