The Historic Area Around Österåker's Church

Church from Early Medieval Times

In the 11th century, the people began to abandoned traditional idolatry religion for Christianity. The first wooden church was built in this vicinity at about the end of the 1000. Just below the site, at that time, flows a tributary from the sea  along the popular primary road-trail called ’Långhundraleden’.

History

At the end of the 11th century, there was a big farm estate in the area now call Klockarhagen. The farm estate was probably named Aker.

Several decades earlier, the people on the farm had begun converting to Christianity. This is evident among other things, from the large cross that is in the center of the engraved ruinstone, which is now displayed inside the church's vestible. The engraved stone, which tells of Toka and Viking, was erected around the year 1040 and was probably carved by the well-known stone carver Fot.

Somewhere in the church's masonry or floor is probably another engraved stone. It was observed and catalogued by the National Antiquarian J. H. Rhezelius when he visited the church around 1640. This  historical engraved stone though not visible now is likely  overlaid under the church's floor.

Another sign that Christianity has arrived at the Aker settlement is the tomb coffins found on the Klockarhagen's old cemetery, one of the largest old cemeteries in the municipality. Christian coffins was found at the Asphagen cementery from about the same time.

The First Church

Christian doctrine was adopted and became the norm around this time in the land. Churches began to be built in my places and many converted from paganism to Christianity.

Often then they chose to build churches on the land and premises that previously served as a worship and sacrifice places to the pagan gods. This most probably also applies to Aker and Österåkers first church. The church has remained in this place for over nine hundred years.

We do not have the picture of the earliest church building or what the church looked like, but it was probably a beautiful church made with standing timber. A bell tower was probably erected in the vicinity of the church. Just below the church flows a crystal clean water from the sea and in the west the Långhundraleden ancient road.

Stone Church

About a hundred years later, around the year 1200, the wooden church was replaced with a huge stone church. The stone building probably consisted mainly of a tower in the west and a big tapered cross in the east. The then church was about ten meters shorter than the current church. Both the tower and the nave were supported with bricks and the windows were considerably smaller than they are today.

Försvarskyrka

It may have been that they first built the tower and that the church's nave was added a decade later. The reason why the tower was prioritized in that case would have been that it was primarily intended as a defense tower and that it was urgent to do so.

Historical documents and notices show that church towers have never been fitted with bells. With this in mind and with reference to the church's powerful construction,one can with great certainty ascertain that Österåkers stone church was initially a so-called defense church.

The need for defense facilities was great during the times of turmoil that prevailed during the early Middle Ages. In the church, and especially in the tower, people could seek protection, and even with  arms and weapons defend themselves against enemies.

At the end of the 13th century, construction of the Tunaborgen began, a little further down to the sea and near the entrance to the Långhundraleden. Once the Tunaborg was put to use and subsequently expanded into a powerful defense establishment during the 1300s and 1400s, the importance of the church building for defense gradually diminished. The church's tower thus largely lost its original function, but still remained untouched for nearly three hundred years.

Thus, Österåkers church can probably be said to be a precursor to the Tunaborgen and perhaps also a successor to a possible watchtower) that may have existed on the farm Aker around the year 1000.

The Church Building

The account below is mainly based on three sources, namely the Swedish Church's standard work (1950) and the diocese's and the parish's documentation regarding the church building. Some obviously contradictory information exists. The information that appears to be most credible is provided below.

In the closing decades of the 12th century, as mentioned earlier, the defense tower was probably erected, which around 1200 became part of Österåkers church and the Nave was then built and completed.                                                      

The tower to the west was quite high (red marking) and the church nave extended approximately until the position marked with a green line, where it ended with a small cross, which, about a hundred years was later extended to the nave width.  The entrance and exit were probably to the south, next to the western tower (blue marking). In the latter part of the 13th century, a vestry was added on the north side of the church.

A major renovation and extension was made during the 1430s. The expansion meant that the church was given about the current size. The former vestry was replaced with a new one and the nave was extended on the long side's south side in connection with the already existing and original entrance and exit (blue marking).

In the mid-17th century, another major renovation and extention of the church was carried out. The renowned mason, Hans Ferster, was contracted for the construction work.

The old cross was replaced with a new polygonal, cross. It is this beautiful cross that adorns the Church east till today.

On the roof above the choir stall is a tower-like decoration, a so-called roof rider (black marking). At the same time, the grand 16th-century sport crown, crowned with the Oxenstiernas and Kurks arms crest and emblems, was installed on the church's southern side.

The vestry (sacristy) was also renovated and furnished and protected with the then typical solid door with iron plate, manufactured by the iron maker Graff in Stockholm.

The oldest masonry of the church is considerably more powerful than the masonry that was added later during the renovation in the 17th century. On the outside of the building  can one distinguish the older part of the building from the newly added  by observing the pillars, which run vertically along the outer walls. The wall-pillars on the older part of the church (orange marking) are more powerful and extend all the way up to the ceiling, while the ones found on the earlier part of the church, from the 1600s, are smaller and narrower (brown marking) and have their end a few centimeters below the ceiling.

However, all wall-pillars were added at the renovation around the year 1650. They are all equipped with so-called anchor ends in iron, fitted with the Oxenstierna coat of arms and the initials GO and BK. The initials refer to the couple Brita Kurk and Gabriel Oxenstierna, who were the owners of Säby farm estate. Gabriel Oxenstierna died in 1647 and it was his widow Brita Kurk who took the initiative to renovate the church and paid for it with parts of her and the deceased husband's wealth. Gustav Banér, owner of Tuna Farm, also contributed financially to the church's renovation.

In 1705, the lower part of the tower was converted into an armory and main entrance (gray marking). At the same time, the old armory was demolished on the south side of the church (blue marking). When the upper part of the tower was finally demolished in 1750, the lower part, that is to say, the present armory, was fitted with a shingle roof.

The tower had been dilapidated for a long time. A depiction of the church dated in 1684 confirms this.

The spring sun's light still reveals clear traces after the demolition of the tower's upper part (see image below). The viewer realizes that the demolition was done in a hurry. Stones stick out a little here and there in the masonry above the roof of the porch.

During the beginning of the 1950s the church was renovated and modernized internally. Among other things, parts of the floor were replaced. When this was done, they found the two engraved stone fragments that are now displayed in the church's vestibule and that tells of Toka and Viking.

The Church Doors

The church's current two entrances and exits, the one at the west and the one at the choir, carry traces of the architectures that were leading at the times when the church's major renovations were carried out, ie the medieval during the 1400s and the baroque during the great powers of the 1600s.

The stately portal on the southern long side of the church, near the choir, clearly signaled that it dates from the great power era and the 17th century, as did the door to the vestry.

At the present gate to the armory, which was thus installed in 1705, there are several details entailed on the medieval gate. Among other things, the gates are solid. Although the current doors were added in 1705, they are probably reminiscent of the doors of the original medieval porch. However, the window above the current doors is not of medieval origin.

Renovation Drama 1647–1650

In 1647, mason Hans Ferster undertook to undertake an extensive renovation and rebuilding of the church of Österåkers.

At that time, Ferster was one of Sweden's most hired and renowned masonic masters. He had about twenty-five workers and was, among other things, working on a rebuild of Stockholm's castle. For the work with Österåkers church, Ferster would, according to agreement, receive 400 national dollars (corresponds to almost SEK 10 million in today's monetary value).

Above all, the choir quire would be given new form (the current one). In addition, the vestry (sacristy) would be rebuilt and renovated.

However, during the reconstruction work, something unexpected did happen: Large parts of the church's northern wall collapsed. This resulted in the renovation being considerably more extensive than originally planned.

A clear reminder of the ill-fated wall collapse is the solid pillar butress from the vestry out to the cemetery wall today. The master mason, with the construction of the huge pillar, wanted to make sure that the church's northern masonry would remain standing and strong for a long time. From what we can see today, the mason master succeeded with this intent.

The Medieval and Baroque Period

The great rebuilding in the middle of the 17th century resulted in the church from the east being regarded as a powerful Baroque church attesting to the great power of the time.

If we choose to view the church from the west instead, we mainly see an austere traditional medieval church. From an architectural perspective, the medieval and the Baroque was united in an architecture. The ten pillar- butresses that were added in the mid-17th century make the different parts of the building appear as united and the church building stands out in both an original and beautiful whole.

Bell Towers

We somehow believe that the first church building may have been a wooden church, probably with an associated self-standing belfry, located around the vicinity of the church.

We can with all likelihood assume that the church has never had church bells in the Church tower. Presumably several bells tower have over the centuries stood and existed around or near the church. The fact that the congregation later chose to place the belfry at the top of Klockarbacken was probably due to the fact that the community had grown and that the ringing could be heard further out in the village.

Written sources mention that there had been several former bells tower at Klockarbacken. The large bell was probably cast and erected up for use at Klockarhagen in 1495, that is, the year when the large bell was cast.

With the church's renovation in the mid-sixteenth century, the medieval belfry was replaced by a new one that probably bore the mark of the great power.

A hundred years later, the then existing tower was dilapidated and was therefore replaced in 1760 with a new bell tower, which was placed a little higher up the hill. It is this clock tower that is still in use today. It was electrified in the early 1950s and in 1967 it was renovated and provided with copper roofs.

From the Ice Age to the Early Middle Ages

From the place where you are now you can see several millennia of Österåker’s history. Up on the mountain to the west, tens of thousands of years old traces of the Ice Age and the ice sheet are visible. Along the eastern slope of the mountain there are memories from an approximately 5 000-year-old settlement from the younger Stone Age, and at an island in the field in the north there are remains that indicate that people have been living here even during the Bronze Age. A few hundred meters further in the northwest, a burial ground more than 2 000 years old can be seen. In the eastern part of the area there are ancient monuments from the Iron Age and the Viking Age.

The slopes on the mountain northwest of the church rose from the sea 5 000 years ago. Round-cut mountain slopes as well as large rounded stones and moving blocks testify to the ice sheet movement and retraction. Shortly thereafter, during the younger Stone Age, the first families settled here. At the foot of the mountain there was a fairly shallow bay. The people lived near the beach in huts fitted with sealskin and the boats in which they traveled also consisted of wooden frames covered with sealskin.

2 000 years later the bay had receded and the former bottom now constituted fertile pasture and agricultural land. On, or near, Åkerholmen in the north, one or more families lived in a longhouse. A tangible memory from the Bronze Age constitutes the large shingle pile that can still be seen at the site.

About a hundred meters northwest of Åkerholmen is a well-preserved burial ground. Here is a rocky embankment about 15 meters long on the mountain plateaus. The stone embankment can be a long cairn from the Bronze Age. There are also round pavements, which sometimes have visible edge chains of large stones. The tombs should be from the centuries before the birth of Christ.

During the younger Iron Age, around the year 500, the first settlement in the east was probably added in the area now known as Klockarhagen. During the Viking Age, here flourished a large farm with several longhouses. The farm was probably named Aker. In the area there are a number of magnificent burial mounds located on one of the municipality's larger burial fields.

In the middle of the 11th century the residents of the Aker farm left the Aesir faith and moved on to Christianity. A few decades later, Österåkers first church was possibly built.

Remains From the Bronze Age

During the Bronze Age about 2,800 years ago, there was a bay here, whose shore was about fifty meters to the south (2). A ground radar survey indicate people were living here in the area during the Bronze Age. Many post holes indicates activities and possible buildings, perhaps there was loading and unloading of goods taking place here.

The area in the north, which consists of a former seabed, is fertile and well suited for cultivation during the Bronze Age. In the meadows there was plenty of lush pasture for the cattle. About 500 meters up north were several Bronze Age farms with homes in the form of longhouses, as well as adjoining outbuildings and probably also cattle houses. At least three piles of rubble indicates that there were buildings here. The piles are usually located right next to the residential houses and can be regarded as rubbish heaps where household waste and other rubbish has been thrown away. Of course, much has decayed and disappeared, but stone sand vessels, cracked in the fire and thrown into the heaps, remain in the same places. At a distance of a few hundred meters from the settlement there are Bronze Age tombs, some of them in the form of cairns.

A river flowed and still flows through the landscape, which during the Bronze Age probably was navigable with the ships of that time. The river mouthed into the bay southeast of the current church. Trade and shipping increased sharply during the Bronze Age. There were coveted and precious objects of bronze which contributed to the expansion.

The fact that the area flourished during the Bronze Age is not least evidenced by Örstaristningen. The carving is found on a sloping rock at Angarnssjöängen, not far from here. The first carving shows both ships and horses and a four-wheeled chariot, which is a sign of wealth.

Text: Master of Philosophy Rolf Ekelund with the participation of archaeologist Gerhard Flink

Photo: Anders Hagström

Klockarhagen and the Viking Yard

You are now standing in front of Klockarhagen and a central part of the Viking yard which most likely bore the name Aker. The area has most likely been inhabited from around the year 500 AD. to the early Middle Ages. A large longhouse has been found on a terrace to the west and at the top of the hill there are about ten magnificent burial mounds.

At Klockarhagen there is also a burial ground from the Iron Age with about 110 graves, among which there are probably some Christian coffin tombs from the end of the Viking Age. In the Middle Ages, the farm moved west. It then came into the ownership of the church and became Österåkers parsonage.

The development in the area, especially on the western part of the garden, was expanded during the Viking era. The Viking yard was then a thriving big man's farm. All the people who lived in the area during the Iron Age were not free farmers. The society was socially stratified and besides peasants there were both slaves and great men.

A few hundred meters southwest of the farm a sea bay flowed directly with Långhundraleden. Along the hill's crest, from the belfry and to the west, are a row of large burial mounds. In these piles, the influential people of ancient times are likely to rest on the farm.

Below a large burial mound in the western part of the burial ground, stood a large building on a stone-covered terrace around the year 1000. It may be a hall building, a building intended for entertainment and lavish parties. Several houses were in the yard. They were built on posts with a supporting back post. The walls were made with smaller poles and braided rice, sealed with clay. The houses could also be laid with horizontal planks or split logs. The roofs were covered with straw or reeds and the floors consisted of stamped clay. A deep and wide river flowed, and flows, through the area and into the bay.

A beautiful and tangible memory of the people who lived on the farm is the rune stone that is now found in the crest of Österåkers church.

From the late Middle Ages to the present, the church bells have been found on Klockarbacken. The first bell stack was probably erected in 1495, when the big bell was cast at Klockarhagen. In 1654, the pile was replaced by a new one. The present belfry was erected higher up the hill, in 1760.

The Terrace of the Viking Yard

Perched in the landscape in front of you are two landscaped, stone-covered terraces: the upper and the lower. Large amounts of soil and stone have been used in the construction of the terraces. These filling masses are probably taken from the area in the north, today on the other side of the road. Coal samples taken at the site date to the younger Iron Age. Buildings have been found on the terraces and there was probably a large longhouse in the Viking Age, around the year 1000 AD.

South and southwest of the place where the terraces are located, there were for several thousand years a sea bay, which converged with the so-called Långahundraleden; a fairway on which ships could travel in a northerly direction far inland to significant mainstay yards and trading places, and, with some interruptions in the fairway, further up to Gamla Uppsala.

Three thousand years ago, during the Bronze Age, the bay's beach was on a level that corresponds to the one where the southern edge of the lower terrace is located.

During the Viking Age and around the year 1000 AD, the sea bay was a few hundred meters further down in the southwest. Possibly there was a landscaped harbor. At that time, a large three-storey longhouse stood on the upper terrace and probably several smaller houses also existed in the area. On the upper terrace there are also remains of an ancient well. During the Viking Age and a bit into the Middle Ages, the settlement was part of the big manor yard, which probably bore the name Aker. The area may have been the center of the farm.

Some of the terraces may have been used as a trading place during the Viking era and possibly even further back in time. From the terraces you had a good view of the bay and Långhundraleden.

Archaeological investigations at the site around 1990 found traces of the buildings in the form of hearths and post holes. A large number of weaving weights and potsherds were also found, as well as a brown slate and an iron dip shoe for a knife sheath. The finds originate from households and businesses in the area. Coal samples taken during the survey were dated to both the Vendel Age (600s) and Viking Age (1000s).