The medieval church ruins of Elinghems ödekyrka

Elinghems ödekyrka is a church ruin in Hangvars parish on northwestern Gotland. Built in the mid-1200s, it served as the parish church for Elinghems socken until around 1600. Since that time, it has stood as a ruin, possibly due to a fire. The last priest was Rasmus Rodeus, who died in 1617.

The church was constructed of limestone and measured 18 meters long and 9 meters wide. Today, the remains consist of approximately 12 meters high ruins of a rectangular nave and a nearly square chancel. Among the preserved inventory are a limestone altar table, a baptismal font from the 1250s, and a holy water bowl. There is also a narrow, built-in staircase in the western gable leading to the church attic.

In 1923-1924, the ruins were restored under the leadership of Sven Brandel. During this time, fallen sections were identified and repointed, and the construction was reinforced. The church is surrounded by a wall that may be a fort and could be older than the church itself. This wall is approximately 125 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 1 meter high, consisting of gray and limestone stones that are partially overgrown with vegetation.

Across the road from the wall lies a burial site indicating pre-Christian traditions at the location. This site consists of seven mounds and approximately 165 round stone settings. The largest of these mounds measure 10 meters in diameter and are just over 1 meter high.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons