Churches on the Baltic Sea

Project: Research

Project Details

Layman's description

In the 12th and 13th centuries, a period of crusades on the Baltic Sea, a number of churches were built with an unusual architecture. Previously known as defensive churches, they are now called multi functional churches, a term which reflects their separate functions. The project investigates the age, models, functions, symbolism and founders of these churches; questions which are highly debated.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, a period of crusades on the Baltic Sea, a number of churches were built with an unusual architecture on Bornholm island in Denmark, on Öland and near Kalmar in Sweden. The churches were previously known as defensive churches and are now called multi functional churches. They unite functions such as church, storehouse and fortification.

The project investigates the age. models, , functions, symbolism and founders of these churches; questions which are highly debated. Thus the round churches of Bornholm have been connected to popular, but very untrustworthy speculations on the Knights Templar and a hypothetical sacred geometry.

Studies of church building on Gotland have already been conducted. Likewise, studies of the wooden and stone churches of Öland and the Kalmar region, as well as studies of churches with round towers and several studies of the round churches of Bornholm, have been carried out. A larger article on the round churches of Scandinavia will be published in Danish (in Kuml 2014) and English.

As a part of the project I have participated in a serie with 24 programmes on the churches on Bornholm for TV2/Bornholm shown during 2012-14.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date2010/01/012014/12/31