Stora Tuna Church

Stora Tuna Church
Stora Tuna kyrka
Church exterior in 2008
Stora Tuna Church
60°27′07″N 15°28′32″E / 60.451944°N 15.475556°E / 60.451944; 15.475556
CountrySweden
DenominationChurch of Sweden
History
Consecrated1469
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Specifications
Floor area997 m2 (10,730 sq ft)
Spire height84.2 m (276 ft)
Administration
DioceseVästerås

Stora Tuna Church (Swedish: Stora Tuna kyrka) is a church of the Diocese of Västerås located in Borlänge in Dalarna County, Sweden.[1] It is protected as an ecclesiastical cultural heritage site.[2]

History

The church was consecrated in 1469, having been built on the site of an old stone church from the 13th century.[3][4] It was originally intended to be a cathedral for the Diocese of Västerås.[5]

The church was seriously damaged by a fire in 1807.[6]

In January 1914, it was reported in Dagens Nyheter that a proposal had been prepared by architect Axel Lindegren for the church's restoration. The plans included a copper-clad spire, as well as the addition of electricity for heating, lighting, and bell ringing.[7] The construction took nearly four years and cost more than 278,000 SEK.[8] The restored church was inaugurated on 2 December 1917, with the then-Crown Prince Gustaf VI Adolf and Crown Princess Margaret in attendance.[9] He then revisited it as king in November 1968.[10]

While excavations were underway in 1921 for a planned parish schoolhouse (300 m southwest of the church), skeletal remains were found. Ethnologist Ola Bannbers was sent to conduct an excavation. At the time it was hypothesized that the remains could be followers of Nils Stensson Sture executed in 1528.[11][12] Radiocarbon dating from a 2018 study later cast doubt on this theory, as it showed the skeletons were from c. 1040–1260, or the late Middle Ages.[13]

In 2016, a religiously-neutral burial site was designated in the Stora Tuna burial grounds.[14] Ann-Louise Eberstein wrote a book in 2019 about the church's history on the occasion of its 550th year.[15][16] The church received a new choir mat in October 2021, designed by textile artist Frida Lindberg alongside weavers Ebba Bergström and Samantha Gustafsson.[17] Stora Tuna Church closed temporarily to visitors in February 2022 after a series of thefts and attempted thefts.[18][19]

Architecture

It was initially believed to be the largest rural church in Sweden, but a reassessment in 1961 determined Järvsö Church to be larger (although Stora Tuna's spire is higher).[20] The floor area of Stora Tuna Church is 997 m2 (10,730 sq ft) and the height of the spire is 84.2 m (276 ft).[21]

Interior

Stora Tuna's triumphal cross measures 6 m (20 ft) high, and is believed to have been created in the early 16th century by an anonymous woodcarver, known as the Stora Tuna-mästaren. The baptismal font, made of limestone from Uppland, also dates back to the 16th century. The pulpit was made by ornamental sculptor Johan Ljung in 1757.[1]

The church's main organ, built in 1968 by A. Magnusson Orgelbyggeri AB, has 43 stops.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Stora Tuna kyrka" [Stora Tuna Church]. Church of Sweden (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Borlänge kn, TUNA PROSTGÅRD 1:3 STORA TUNA KYRKA" [Borlänge municipality, TUNA PROSTGÅRD 1:3 STORA TUNA CHURCH]. bebyggelseregistret.raa.se. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  3. ^ Sveriges kyrkor, konsthistoriskt inventarium: hft. 1-3. Leksands tingslag, Gagnefs tingslag (1916; ser. vol. 6). Falu domsagas norra tingslag (1920; ser. vol. 9). Falu domsagas sodra tingslag (1925?; ser. vol. 37) [Swedish churches, art history inventory: vol. 1-3. Leksand district court, Gagnef district court (1916; ser. vol. 6). Falu district court, northern district court (1920; ser. vol. 9). Falu district court, southern district court (1925?; ser. vol. 37)] (in Swedish). Svenska Bokhandelscentralen. 1932. p. 332.
  4. ^ Brodin, Jerry (13 August 2018). "Kyrkan lockar besökare från hela värden – Fyller 550 år 2019" [The church attracts visitors from all over the world – Celebrating its 550th anniversary in 2019]. Mora Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  5. ^ Greén, Hans (14 June 1981). "Svenska kyrkan får 20 nya kvinnliga präster" [The Church of Sweden welcomes 20 new female priests]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish).
  6. ^ a b Darphin, Jean-Paul (9 June 2005). "STORA TUNA KYRKA" [STORA TUNA CHURCH] (PDF). Church of Sweden. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Stora Tuna kyrkas restaurering" [Restoration of Stora Tuna Church]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 28 January 1914. p. 10.
  8. ^ "Långvarig kyrkoreparation fullbordad" [Long-term church repairs completed.]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 20 November 1917. p. 9.
  9. ^ "Stora Tuna kyrka invigd i går" [Stora Tuna Church inaugurated yesterday]. Dagens Nyheter. 3 December 1917. p. 5.
  10. ^ "Kungen återlämnar farfars dalmålning" [The King returns his grandfather's painting of the valley]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 23 November 1968. p. 23.
  11. ^ "Fyndet i Tuna: Daljunkarens halshuggna män" [The discovery in Tuna: The beheaded men of Daljunkaren]. Dagens Nyheter. 26 April 1921. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Fynden i Tuna nu undersökta av sakkunniga" [The findings in Tuna are now being examined by experts.]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 3 May 1921.
  13. ^ Wehlin, Joakim; Sten, Sabine; Carlsson, Eva; Thorell, Erik; Teglind, Rebecca (2018). "Avrättningar och centralmakt i Stora Tuna i Dalarna under den tidiga medeltiden : nya analyser av benen från Kyrkskolan" [Executions and central power in Stora Tuna in Dalarna during the early Middle Ages: new analyses of the bones from Kyrkskolan]. Fornvännen (in Swedish). 113 (4): 196–209.
  14. ^ "Neutral gravplats i Borlänge" [Neutral burial site in Borlänge]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 27 May 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  15. ^ De Veen, Lena (25 July 2019). "RECENSION: Gedigen, genomarbetad och vacker minnesbok när Stora Tuna Kyrka fyller 550 år" [REVIEW: A solid, well-crafted, and beautiful commemorative book marking the 550th anniversary of Stora Tuna Church.]. Dala-Demokraten (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  16. ^ Thorp Backlund, Kajsa (5 March 2019). "Kyrkans 550 år firas med en bok – "Jag kan bara skrapa på ytan"" [The church's 550th anniversary is celebrated with a book – “I can only scratch the surface”]. Borlänge Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  17. ^ Rigtorp, Veronica (27 October 2021). "Stora Tuna kyrkas nya kormatta på plats" [New choir mat installed at Stora Tuna Church]. Lokalt i Dalarna (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  18. ^ Radio, Sveriges (15 February 2022). "Stopp för kyrkobesökare efter stölder: "Tråkigt" - P4 Dalarna" [Church visitors banned after thefts: “Sad” - P4 Dalarna]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  19. ^ Hellsten, Mikael (14 February 2022). "Kyrkan stängs efter stölder: "Ska vara en fredad plats"" [Church closed after thefts: “Should be a protected place”]. Mora Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  20. ^ Green, Hans (24 May 1987). "Kryko Nytt: Järvso kyrka näst störst" [Kryko News: Järvso Church is the second largest]. Dagens Nyheter. p. 51.
  21. ^ "Stora kyrkstriden avgjord" [The great church dispute settled]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 7 June 1962. p. 13.
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