GP 225 Källunge kyrka 7

Context and Discovery ⓘ
An apsidal choir built between 1100 and 1150 was the 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 fragments embedded into the walls of the small nave, most of them kerbstones (Randsteine), 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 Källunge kyrka 8 and GP 228 Källunge kyrka 10 are embedded into the flooring south-east of the altar and GP 227 Källunge kyrka 9 has been re-used as the first of three steps leading to the sacrament niche (ʻaumbryʼ) in the northern wall of the choir. Böttger-Niedenzu submitted her master’s thesis on Gotland’s picture stones to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, and during the years 1981 to 1985, she visited the Gotlandic rural churches, discovering not fewer than 38 previously unknown picture stones, which she published in a brief catalogue in 1988.

Between 1979 and 1984, another possible picture stone – Källunge kyrka 7 – was discovered and thus registered by Jan Peder Lamm in his list, where he notes: “Nedersta steget till sakristian DKL [dubbla kantföljande linjer]” (Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 203). (Lowest step to the sacristy, double lines following the edge.) The stone is not included in Böttger-Niedenzu’s documentation and therefore it remains unclear who discovered the stone. However, this is not the only obscurity connected with this stone. As a matter of fact, there is no ʻlowest stepʼ to the sacristy door but only a raised threshold. The stone step forming the threshold, however, bears no traces of carvings or other features indicating a picture stone. Instead, there is a rectangular slab embedded into the flooring just in front of the sacristy door, directly bordering the threshold stone, on which some carvings are discernable. We therefore assume that this floor slab represents the stone in question. However, it cannot be completely ruled out that Jan Peder Lamm made a mistake, that he confused "sacristy" and "sacrament niche" and that GP 225 is actually the same stone that Böttger-Niedenzu had already identified, i.e. GP 227.
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 224 Källunge kyrka VI
GP 226 Källunge kyrka 8
GP 228 Källunge kyrka 10
GP 227 Källunge kyrka 9

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
The limestone slab in front of the sacristy door is perfectly rectangular, except for a small rectangular recess in the middle of its eastern long side. The rectangle is circa 1.20 m long and 0.50 m wide. The stone is homogeneously grey, almost perfectly even, and completely smoothed by footsteps. Remains of bas-relief carvings are not discernable at all.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
There is only a rudimentary and primitively carved line running along the northern narrow side of the slab, which directly borders the threshold. Possibly, there are even two parallel lines traceable. The original shape and context of the irregular line/s are, however, impossible to determine as the surrounding areas are so greatly worn and polished.

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
No interpretation

Type and Dating ⓘ
As there is only a rudimentary and simply carved line (possibly a double line) traceable on the stone, it is impossible to assign it to a specific type or group. Considering the size of the fragment and assuming that the (double) line indicates an edge border or a horizontal border or divider, a Type A (AD 400–600) or a Type C–E (circa AD 800–1100) stone is possible. Basically, it even appears quite questionable whether it represents a picture stone at all.

References ⓘ
No references

mer grejer

Find Context

The Stone

Carvings

Detailed Information

Svensk sammanfattning

Identification

Links

Export

Plane	Position	Flip