Norrlanda Church

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Norrlanda Church, or Norrlanda kyrka, is a medieval church on the Swedish island of Gotland. It belongs to the Church of Sweden in the Diocese of Visby.

The first stone church on this site was built in the 1100s. A Romanesque tower was added in the 1200s, and that tower is what you see today. The rest of the original church was torn down in the late 1200s or early 1300s and replaced with a new choir and sacristy, followed by a new nave in the mid-1300s. These newer parts are Gothic, while the tower is Romanesque. The tower may look small because of the reconstruction. Similar church shapes can be seen in Ardre and Hablingbo on Gotland. The church has changed little since the Middle Ages and was renovated in 1889 and again in 1953–54.

The church is surrounded by a low wall with two medieval lychgates. The main exterior portal has unusual 14th-century sculptures by the Egypticus workshop, including the Resurrection in the wimperg and scenes from the early life of Christ and Mary on the capitals.

Inside, the walls are richly decorated with medieval murals, probably by the Master of the Passion of Christ. They depict scenes from the Passion, several saints, and depictions of devils and women. The only truly medieval furnishings are the base of the baptismal font and the church bell, which is said to be Sweden’s largest 13th-century church bell. Other furnishings mainly date from the 18th century and the late 19th century.