Risinge gamla kyrka, Medieval church in Finspång Municipality, Sweden.
Risinge gamla kyrka is a medieval stone church about 3 km east of Finspång. It was begun in the late 12th century and enlarged in stages until the 18th century, with a north addition in the 1730s. The churchyard is enclosed on three sides by a medieval, shingle-roofed wall, one of Sweden's largest and best preserved, with a medieval tithe barn in its northeast corner.
The church was built in the latter half of the 1100s as a parish church for the region. During the 1300s it received vaulted ceilings, and it stopped serving as an active place of worship in 1849 when a new church was built nearby.
The vault paintings were made so that the priest could point to the biblical figures while preaching. The oldest is the red 'Ryttaren med jaktfalken' on the north wall, from the 1200s; its meaning is uncertain. The pulpit from the 1600s now stands in Finspång Castle chapel.
The church stands about 3 km east of Finspång and a further 4 km south of Riksväg 51. It has no heating, so services are held only in summer; outside that season, access is not guaranteed. Check opening times before setting out.
The oldest painting in the church, the red Rider with the Hunting Falcon on the north wall, dates to the 1200s, and its meaning is still uncertain. Unlike most medieval church murals, it and the later vault paintings were never whitewashed or painted over.
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