Hilleshög Church

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Hilleshög Church is a medieval Lutheran church in the Diocese of Stockholm. It is located in Hilleshög, Ekerö Municipality just outside Stockholm, Sweden. Hilleshög Church is one of the most well-preserved Romanesque churches in Stockholm County, together with Markim Church.HistoryThe location of Hilleshög Church has probably been the centre of the local community since the Iron Age. Just south of the church lie three tumuli (the largest measuring 22m in diameter) and in the rock surface, a runic inscrption. The runic inscription is the longest in Uppland.Hilleshög Church was built in the third quarter of the 12th century. The original church consisted of nave, choir, apse and the western tower. The model for the church was probably the church of St. Per, in Sigtuna (now ruined). The floor plan of the church is still basically unchanged, and the church retains its original entrance. During the 13th century the interior of the church underwent some changes, including the decoration of the church with frescos. The sacristy was added in the late 14th or early 15th century, and a church porch was built in the 15th century. In the same century, the original frescos were painted over with new ones. Additional changes were made in the 18th century when the windows were enlarged and the tower received its presently visible spire. The church bells were transferred from a free-standing wooden bell tower to the western tower in 1785. In the same year the frescos were covered, and when they were laid bare again during a renovation in 1921-22 they were found to be in very poor condition.