Löt Church
Church environment
Lots church and cemetery is located at the intersection of the road 137 on the eastern side of Öland and the road to Alböke. Adjacent to the church a small center evolved where there were a shop, school, etc.
East of the church is the vicarage. The manor house that exists today was built in 1868, but the vicarage history goes further back in time. During the 18th century a large orchard was established at the vicarage. The vicarage is today a private residence, but one of the church stables, earlier belonging to the vicarage, is now owned by the local historical society.
West of the church is a piece of land called Kyrkhorvan. This land was donated by the vicar Wallander to the parish, and a school building was built here in 1852 and is still there today.
To the east of school a residence for the teacher was built, called “Klockargården”, which today is a home for the elderly.
The Church
The first stone church in Löt was built in the first half of the 12th century. The church consisted at that time of a nave and a narrower chancel with an apse.
During the second half of the 12th century, when the threat from pagan pirates from the Baltic area increased, was the church in Löt as so many of Öland churches rebuilt to a defense church. First a shooting floor was built above the nave, and a tower in the west was added around the year 1200.
During the 13th century’s first decades and extra floor was added to the tower, to a total of four. A Church porch to the south was also added during this century, while the sacristy was built in the north in the 14th century.
In the records from parish assembly meetings in the 17th and 18th century there are notes about changes and renovations during this period. The biggest change was implemented in the late 18th century when the tower was equipped with a lantern were the church bells was hanged. They had previously hung in a belfry.
In the 19th century, the population increased and the church got crowded and soon to small for the parish. Decision to build a new church was taken and drawings were made in 1838 by Nils Löfgren Isaac. In 1840 the builder Peter Iceberg began the work on the new church.
To keep the costs down, the tower and part of the nave west wall was used for the new church. The rest of the medieval church was demolished.
The new nave was built outside the medieval church grounds and the building was extended to the east and the sacristy was built to far east.
The new church is dominated both the interior and exterior of neoclassic stylistic features such as the round-headed windows and the bright, airy nave. Even the medieval tower now has a Classicist expression with the lantern, the round-headed windows and the entrance to the west.
Memorial grove
At Löt’s cemetery there is no memorial grove.
Buildings
To the west of the cemetery are two buildings located. One of these has plastered white walls and a tiled roof, accommodating the toilets for the church visitors.
The second building has standing white painted wood paneling and a tiled saddle roof. This building houses staff facilities and workshop.
Other
At the cemetery’s northwest corner is a canopy of limestone chips. Here stands a cast-iron fence that previously surrounded one of the tombs in the cemetery.
Source: Kalmar Läns Museum (Kalmar County Museum)
Translation: Visitoland.com