The 13th-century chapel where Bridget of Sweden's parents may have shipwrecked

Sankta Birgittas kapell stands within the marshy terrain of Kapelludden. Constructed in the first part of the 13th century, it belonged to one of the largest churches of its time on the island of Öland. The chapel featured a large nave and a high roof that probably created space for lodging pilgrims, a use suggested by the dimensions of the nave.

Scholars suggest the chapel honors the Irish saint Brigit of Kildare rather than Bridget of Sweden. Nearby, a stone cross identifies a location where local lore describes the shipwreck of the parents of Bridget of Sweden. According to traveler Horace Marryat, they were returning from a pilgrimage to Kildare to the remains of St. Brigit when their ship sank off the coast.

Though a storm in 1914 destroyed the western wall, the foundation and eastern wall remain today. A stone cross stands between the ruins and the shore, featuring a hole for a hook to hang an offerbössa. This limestone cross was restored with steel beams in 2007 after being broken into four pieces by a storm.

In the southeast corner of the area, which was enclosed by a wall, is a spring. This water source has likely been used since prehistoric times.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons