Hulterstad Church
Church environment
Hulterstad church and cemetery is located on the south eastern side of Öland, at the height of Kastlösa on the west side. The road from Föra in the north to Ottenby in the south which connects villages and communities on the eastern side of Öland goes through the village.
The church is located in the northern part of the village Hulterstad, which holds several active farms. West of the church is it not far to the “Alvar” (the typical moor of Öland) and to the east stretches the arable land out.
South ofthe church is thevicarage, today a private resident.
Between the church and the cemetery is a building that has probably been the vicarage wash/brew-house. Today the building is owned by the church. The house has been recently renovated and there are now toilets for the cemetery’s visitors as well as storage.
The Church
The first stone church in Hulterstad was built in the first half of the 12th century. It is believed that the stone church was preceded by a wooden church, but remains after one has not been found.
The stone church was built with three naves with a broad west tower surmounted by two smaller towers, a so-called Twin Tower.
During the 13th century the church was re-built, like so many other churches on Öland, to also act as a defense facility. One of the changes was that the tower was rebuilt.
During the 18th century the parish’s population increased, which made the medieval church crowded, and a decision was taken to demolish the medieval nave.
The new nave, chancel and sacristy were finished in 1803, and the tower had got a new lantern. The building was designed by architect G af Sillén and the builder was J Söderström and H Wermelin.
During the 19th and 20th century, the church has been renovated several times, among others 1950-51 and most recently in 1983, and in the church are several fragments of rune stones kept.
The church nave is characterized interior and exterior of classical stylistic features while the tower despite the lantern from 1803 has an older character.
Memorial grove
The memorial grove is situated in the northeastern part of block D. The grove is marked by an archaic limestone cross.
The cross was earlier heading the tomb of the village blacksmith Lindström who died in 1870. His personal data remains on the back of the cross while a new text “Minneslund” (memorial grove) is carved into the front of the cross.
Around the Cross is a flower bed, a stand for flower vases and limestone tiles to place candles on. The grove is surrounded in the north by a low hedge.
Buildings
In the northern part of the cemetery is a building formerly used as charnel house and then as wood and tool shed. In 1957 the building was re-built to the morgue, the plans for the reconstruction was done by the builder Henning Johansson.
The facade is plastered in white except for a portion of the gable in the north that has standing panel in black. The roof is tiled. All windows and doors have black carpentry.
The northern part of the building is used as storage while the south is a devotion room. The ceiling in the devotion room is covered with tiles, walls are plastered and painted in white and the floor covered with slabs of limestone.
The north wall has a painting by artist Rune Söderberg, and here is a catafalque and a small stone altar.
Other
In block E is a monument to those who died aboard the man-of-war and flagship “Kronan” that was sunk during the “Skånska” War in 1676. The monument consists of a large black painted anchor, four square blocks of stone with iron rings at each corner and a small memorial plaque in stone with the text ”Tappra svenska män ombord Stora Kronan i slaget vid Öland 1676”, (Valiant Swedish men onboard “Stora Kronan” in the battle of Öland 1676)
Source: Kalmar Läns Museum, Kalmar County Museum
Translation: Visitoland.com