Medieval Roof Trusses in Churches of Northern Småland

Abstract

The preserved medieval roof trusses of eleven churches in northern Småland (the old folklands of Vedbo and Sevede) were surveyed in 2010. They span from Romanesque types to late medieval, Gothic types. Preserved early medieval roof trusses comprise a heritage of international importance, since few wooden constructions of such age are preserved outside Scandinavia. Nonetheless, no total survey of the Swedish material has ever been made, thus making it uncertain how many objects still exist in the church attics. An aim of the project was to test the potential of quick surveys as a means to get a picture of the number and character of preserved medieval roof trusses in one determined geographical area. Romanesque roof trusses are present or traced in six churches. The churches of Bredestad and Norra Solberga in Vedbo have intact crossed strut-beam roof trusses of a type represented in the landscapes around Lake Vättern during the 12th century. Later examples of this type were encountered in the churches of Mellby in Vedbo and Pelarne in Sevede. Above the naves of the churches in Bredestad and Bälaryd is another type of Romanesque truss, the collar-beam roof truss, in the later church with decorated steering plates, which have identical parallels in western Östergötland and Värend in Småland. A pair of roof structures (Marbäck and Vireda) represents the transition between Romanesque and Gothic structures. The fully developed Gothic roof structure is intact only in the churches of Askeryd and Säby, which were converted into hall churches in the Late Middle Ages. It is suggested that the Romanesque roof trusses are part of a regional tradition present in the landscapes around Vättern during the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century.