Gärdlösa Church
The Church environment
Gärdslösa church and cemetery is located adjacent to and west of the road between Bredsätra and Långlöt, north of the villages of North and South Gärdslösa. The church is located above the fault line and just north of the church environment is Störlinge southern “Kvarnbacke” that is a burial ground with single standing stones and stone settings.
South of the cemetery is the church grounds where a memorial stone to the poet EJ Stagnelius is erected. Stagnelius father was dean of the congregation and Stagnelius spent his childhood in the rectory close by. The Portrait Medallion on the stone is the work of sculptor Arvid Källström. The memorial stone was unveiled on midsummer 1924
To the west is the former morgue built together with the parish hall. In the northwest is the foundation of an old guild house. Around the church environment are farmlands extending both east and west and to the east you can see the sea.
The Church
A wooden church have probably been here already in the 11th century, of which the found rune stones testify. A stone church replaced the wooden church, sometime in the second half of the 12th century.
The church has been rebuilt several times over the years and the church today consists of a nave, a chancel of about the same height and width as the nave and between them the so-called nave extension. To the west rises a slender tower and at the naves western half are transepts to the north and south.
The church is the one that has the best preserved medieval character of the island’s churches and the chancels Gothic crow-stepped gable is unique to the island of Öland.
All the walls of the church consist of cavity walls of limestone and no baseboards have been observed. The walls are since 1958 silted and whitewashed, with the exception of the north transept showing the beautiful masonry.
The tower was rebuilt in 1845 and one of its openings for the church bells are a tomb to the dean Johan Greselius and his wife dead 1710.
In the church porch are two pieces of a rune stone of gray limestone with dragon band and inscription kept. Youngest stone hob in the church dates from 1780. Most of the tombs kept inside the church were moved out of the cemetery sometime in the 19th century. A few are still left in the aisle.
About 15 years ago an attempt was made, according to Ragnild Boström, to move the oldest stone hob, from 1311 over Gärdslösas first known priest Olaus, into the church porch. The stone was then broken into several pieces which are now kept in the Church. In the chancel are church frescos, both medieval and younger.
Memorial grove
The memorial grove which opened in 2000 is located west of the cemetery adjacent to the parish hall which also forms the border in the south. In the west there is a fence, outside the fence runs “silverbäcken” (the Silver brook).
Towards the north it is planted bushes in a semi-circle and in the east it is planted shrubs, and in the area there are five tall pine trees. The rest is lawn with a planting area which is surrounded by a limestone wall, with an older limestone tomb behind.
The parish plans, following a decision by the church council, in the near future to place a memorial stone in the memorial grove. The memorial stone shall be of limestone and polished on both sides. On the stone, brass plates with the names of the buried can be applied, for the families who so wish.
Buildings
The Morgue, which was inaugurated in 1968, is just outside the cemetery to the west. It was designed by Gösta Gerdesiö, Kalmar. It is built of limestone with a saddle roof covered with tiles. The former entrance to the east has double doors of oak. Inside the chapel is the medieval portal embracing the altar niche. The morgue is now remodeled and connecting with the parish house that was built in 1987.
In the northwest corner is a white painted wooden building that houses staff areas, tools and machine storage and public toilet.
Other
Tombstones set aside are placed along the west wall of the cemetery.
A sundial assembled from many different parts stands next to the limestone walk path in the south. Under the clock-face is the year 1733 imprinted, parts of it can however come from a baptismal font dated to 1750.
Source: Kalmar Läns Museum (Kalmar County Museum)
Translation: Visitoland.com