Högby Church
Church environment
Högby church and cemetery is located east of the community Löttorp, along road 136. When the railway was built in 1906 was Löttorp one of the important stations along the railroad. During the 20th century has northern Öland’s service and trade been concentrated to Löttorp. Here are today among other things, school, health center, shopping and businesses.
Southwest of the church is a building that was formerly the school. The building was completed in 1851 and was used as a school until 1967, and a few years later rebuilt to the parish house.
North of the church are some of the former church stables preserved, the first church stables were built in the mid 19th century. Today the remaining stables are managed by the local historical society.
Northeast of the church is the vicarage from 1846. The vicarage is still today the official residence of the vicar and additionally the parish registrar’s office.
East of the church is the vicarage barn, built in stone. In the barn there are today some 50 tombstones, including a number that are made in wood, which have been removed from the cemetery.
North of the cemetery is an agricultural landscape spreading out and south of the cemetery is a deciduous forest area Högbyeke which is a nature reserve.
The Church
Högby church was built in the mid 12th century, at first with nave, a small chancel and an apse. The tower in the west was added during the second half of the 12th century. Around the year 1200 the nave was vaulted so that the nave became divided in two with six groined vaults.
During the first half of the 13th century the chancel was expanded. It became rectangular in shape and had two floors. At the same time another floor was added to the tower, a so-called clock floor. With the lower nave, chancel with two floors and the tower with three floors the church got the shape of a pack-saddle church.
In the early 13th century the church porch was built at the south entrance. A further extension was made in the south east of the church porch, this in the second half of the 13th century. It was a chapel building dedicated to Saint Otto. The Chapel came in the late middle age to be used as crypt too the family Bielke.
In the late 13th century the sacristy was built in the north. In the centuries thereafter minor changes was performed. Towards the end of the 18th century there were several major changes due to cracking. The arches in the church porch and the nave was removed and replaced by Wooden Barrel vault.
In 1797 St. Otto’s Chapel was demolished. The year 1825-26 the clock floor of the tower was rebuilt into its present appearance surmounted by a bell-shaped hood.
As the population grew during the 19th century the church became crowded. This led to that the whole of the medieval church, except the tower was demolished and replaced by the present nave. The drawings were made by FR Ekberg and the work was led by master builder P. Petersson, Madesjö.
During the 20th century, two major renovations were carried out. The first was made in 1939 and was led by architect Paul Boberg and artist Torsten Hjelm while the second was conducted in 1975-76 and led by architect Ture Jangvik.
Memorial grove
The Memorial grove was built in 2004 and designed by Outside landscape architects & engineers AB. The place is circular and surrounded by a newly planted hornbeam hedge. The burial ground is marked by a stone paved circle in the grass. At the site’s eastern side is a wooden cross, rose planting and a place for flower vases and candles.
Buildings
West of the cemetery is the morgue, which was built in 1961 and designed by “Nerles Arkitektkontor”. The building has a masonry facade of limestone and roof covered with slate. The entrance to the north has dark wooden doors.
South of the morgue is a yellow, plastered building with a roof covered with concrete tiles. The house was built in the 1970s and contained the toilets for the church visitors. In 1985 it was rebuilt and furnished with the staff room for the janitors.
Other
The churchyard has no specific parking for older tombstones that have been removed from the cemetery. Instead, several older tombstones are left in the cemetery. But some of the old tombstones that have been removed are now kept in the parsonage barn east of the church.
Source: Kalmar Läns Museum (Kalmar County Museum)
Translation: Visitoland.com
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