Location: Varnhem, Sweden.

Architect: AIX.

Excavations in 2005 near Varnhems monastery church revealed the remains of a farm church from the 9th century, indicating that Västergötland was christened 100 years earlier than previously believed. The ruins are believed to be Sweden’s oldest Christian church and possibly the oldest Swedish building. The church was built by Kata, the woman who ruled the farm, and the place was named Kata farm in her honor. To make the old church accessible to visitors, the church foundations with its burial sites are protected from weather and wind with a structure that functions as a roof. The building is constructed of laminated timber beams that form an equilateral triangle in its cross-section, with a timber roof truss. The trusses are placed on laminated timber horizontal sill plates, which rest on a number of pillars in the ground. The board-on-board roof is treated with tar. The room above the ground is open to see the masonry from above. The glazed railing lets visitors see the basement. Even Kata’s tomb from the mid-1000’s is visible through the glazed floor from above. An electrical lifting platform with glazed walls is installed between the basement and the roof structure as an access alternative to the entrance staircase. The structure above the ruin and grave is 12 meters wide, 19 meters long and 12 meters high. The building is not heated. The existing road to the monastery church has a hard surface to facilitate the visit to the ruins. In May 2017, the exhibition hall and weather protection were opened over the ruin of Sweden’s oldest church.

Photo credit: Antonius van Arkel.