Törnsfalls Kyrka
Medieval church in Törnsfall
Törnfalls Kyrka, a church built of rough natural stones in the 13th century, is located in the church village Törnsfall, about 16 kilometers northwest of Västervik.
The church tower of the Törnsfalls Kyrka is, apart from the spire, even a little older than the present church, because it was already part of a wooden church, which was built at the beginning of the 12th century at this point.
In the 13th century, the wooden church was replaced by the brick nave of today's church. The typical small windows of the Romanesque style were enlarged between 1698 and 1753 and in 1731 the church, whose floor until then consisted of pounded earth, got its first wooden floor.
The sacristy, originally built of wood on the north side of the church, was replaced by a stone construction in 1766, and in 1783 the church tower acquired its present roof. In 1807 the wooden floor of the church was replaced by stone slabs and in 1850 the tarred roof shingles were replaced with roof tiles.
The interior of the church is kept in plain white – only the reddish-brown seats and backs of the pews from around 1760, the stained-glass colored altar windows and the green colored gilded pulpit from 1740.
In the church are several medieval wooden sculptures. These include a 12th-century shrine, a 14th-century statue of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus and a 15th-century Anna sculpture. The great triumphal cross dates from the 16th century and the Jesus sculpture on the late medieval altar cross is a work from the 13th century.
