Hamneda kyrkoruin

The medieval church in Hamneda, which is now a ruin, was replaced at the end of the 19th century by a new church located just a short distance away on the other side of the Lagan River.

Near the ruins, there is a so-called ‘bride stone.’ According to a very old tradition, the process of a wedding was carefully regulated. It included courtship, engagement, banns published for three consecutive Sundays in the church, decorating the wedding venue, and the attire of the bride and groom. Another important tradition was that when the newlyweds emerged from the church, they would stand on the bride stone and be observed by the congregation. The specifics of this tradition varied among different parishes. In Hamneda, the bride and groom could even ride up to the stone. The last time the bride stone in Hamneda was used was in the 1860s. It is a protected ancient monument.

The medieval church was an impressive east tower church, with the tower situated between the nave and the narrower, straight-ended choir. In some cases, this type of church has been associated with early royal power. Hamneda served as a legal assembly place (tingsställe) in the Sunnerbo region, and during the medieval period, there appears to have been a castle-like structure directly adjacent to the church. There were entrances both to the north, south, and west. In the 1700s, the church received a new sacristy and a porch. The church was likely built no later than around 1200. Coins dating back to the 1240s have been found, and the baptismal font now in the new church also dates to the early 1200s. The reason for demolishing the old church and constructing a new one was reportedly due to poorly planned cemetery arrangements, which undermined the structure and caused significant cracks in the facade. Today, substantial portions of the north and south walls of the nave remain from the old church, and the ancient masonry altar stands in the choir.

Source: Svenska kyrkan

This text is AI-generated.