Vickleby Church
Church environment
Vickleby church is located up on the edge of the fault line, just west of the western main road. From the cemetery you have a view of the barren “stora Alvar” (the Great Alvar) in the east and the fertile valley with Vickleby village in the west.
East of the cemetery is “Vickleby bygata” (Vickleby village street) with its dense settlements. Here you find among others Bo Pensionat and Capellagården.
In the 1930-40s became Vickleby a popular residence for many prominent artists. Many of them lived in the village, including Arthur Percy.
Right beneath the church to the east is Vickleby vicarage situated which still retains its original function. North of the cemetery is the former Vickleby church school, for long an exhibition hall connected to Capellagården, but is now privately owned.
The church
Vickleby church belongs to the small group of churches on Öland that is wholly or to most parts preserved since the Middle Ages.
Its believed that the current tower was built connected to a wooden nave in the late 12th century. The present nave in stone was built in the 13th century.
Under the leadership of the master mason Anders Törnberg from Kalmar was the medieval chancel and apse demolished in 1778-79, and the nave was extended to the east and a new chancel was added. In 1818 the tower was given a four-sided lantern.
Memorial grove
The Memorial grove is located outside the actual cemetery, in the north-east corner of the park-like area in the west.
It is defined by a semicircular free-standing hedge of spiraea, and a planting with pink flowering shrub roses. It consists of a lawn and in the middle stands a waterfall of metal, and an inscription plate. There is also a tall black-painted light fitting with glass spheres
Buildings
At the cemetery is no additional building but well on the other side of the main road in the east. There stands a building of limestone with roofs covered with older tiles, several tiles has the stamp of Värnanäs brickworks. It was probably erected in 1766 and was then called “redskapshus” (tool shed), the exterior walls were originally plastered, but is now just the masonry. In 1957 the southern part was furnished to a preparation chapel and the north as tool shed.
Other
Older tombstones removed from the cemetery are on display against the northern wall’s western section.
Source: Kalmar Läns Museum, Kalmar County Museum
Translation: Visitoland.com