A beautiful
church
The Stora Sköndal church was consecrated in 1929 and the architect
was Hakon Ahlberg.
One thing was quite clear. The church had to be built on the highest
hill of the estate of Stora Sköndal, it must be founded on
a rock. Matt 7:25.
“The roughly hewn terrace walls and white-washed church walls
were to grow out of the granite with the darkish-brown roof crowning
the hill, thus serving as a beacon, a spiritual centre for the surrounding
area” said Knut Sjöberg, director of Stora Sköndal,
on the occasion of the church consecration in 1929.
Construction work started in 1927. Services had by then been held
for many years in the manor house, nowadays the head office. But
people longed for a real church, and when work was started there
was no end to the generosity and dedication shown by people from
all over the country.
The employees of the manor participated willingly in the work, alongside
professional builders. The architect, Hakon Ahlberg, commented that
working with the church was sheer joy, since so many people willingly
contributed to it.
The detached wooden bell tower was inaugurated in 1930, the sound
of the bells reaching far away, thus telling the world that the
church is open for all and sundry.
Every fitting in the church was made by the people of Stora Sköndal,
the antependium as well as the heavy oak doors.
Nowadays the church serves not only Stora Sköndal, but is
also a church within the parish of Farsta. People from the parish
work alongside the minister and deacon employed by Stora Sköndal.
Stora Sköndal
Stora Sköndal has been populated for nearly 1 600 years. In
the 16th century the name of the manor was Sjunda, meaning sjö-ända,
the end of the lake, (Lake Drevviken). In the 17th century the name
was changed to Sköndal, literally “the beautiful valley”.
In 1831 the name was changed to Stora Sköndal, Great Sköndal,
when large tracts of the grounds were sold to the city of Stockholm.
The present manor house was built in the 17th century. In 1905 the
Swedish Society for Diaconal work bought it, running care facilities
for epileptics and alcoholics, as well as a school för deacons.
In 1981 the Stora Sköndal Foundation, an independent organisation
within the framework of Svenska kyrkan (the church of Sweden), took
over the responsibility.
Today the Foundation has a university college for studies in church
music, diaconal studies and social studies. There are also several
houses and flats for senior citizens as well as a hospital for neurological
rehabilitation, OAP homes, a nursing home and a centre for
handicapped people.
The
triumph crucifix
The Stora Sköndal church consists of a rectangular nave
with the altar at the eastern end. The porch is to the south. Opposite
to the northern “half transept” is the vestry.
The nave is covered by a trefoil wooden reddish vault. The choir
is covered by a lower barrel vault, with a triumph crucifix.
The wooden image of Our Lord Jesus Christ was made in Oberammergau,
Germany, in 1939, by Georg Johann Lang, while the cross, bearing
the symbols of the evangelists Mark, Luke, Matthew and John, was
made at Stora Sköndal, by Samuel Lindblom.
The triptych
The triptych was made by Gunnar Torhamn and is a gift from Svenska
diakoniförbundet, the Swedish Society for the Promotion of
Parish Work.
The triptych is normally open, but closed during Lent.
When closed, the left part can bee seen illustrating Luke 18:35-43:
“As He was nearing Jericho a blind man was seated by the road,
begging. Hearing the crowd passing by he inquired what it was all
about, so they informed him, Jesus of Nazareth is coming by. Then
he shouted, Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!…
…Jesus said to him, Receive your sight. Your faith has saved
you.”
The right part depicts Mary and John by the cross
of Jesus, John 19:26-27:
“Then Jesus, seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved
standing there, said to His mother, Woman there is your son.
Then to the disciple He said, There is your mother. And from that
moment the disciple took her to his home.”
When open, the left wing can be seen depicting the bishop ordaining
deacons in the Stora Sköndal church, Romans 12:4-12:
“For just as in one body we have many members, but not all
the members have the same function, so the many of us form one body
in Christ, while each is related to all others as a member. But
having gifts that differ according to the grace bestowed on us,
if it is prophecy… if it is practical service…
…joyfully hoping as you endure affliction, persistent in prayer…”
The centre illustrates John 13:4-17, Jesus washing
the disciples’ feet:
“He… …rose from the table, laid aside His robe,
and taking a towel, girded Himself. Then He poured water into the
basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples and to dry them
with the towel with which He was girded…
…You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’,
and rightly so, because I am. Then if I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet, you surely ought to wash one another’s
feet. For I have set you an example so that you might do just as
I did to you. I assure you with all truth, a slave is not superior
to his master, nor one who is sent to the one that sent him. If
you know these teachings, blessed are you if you practise them.”
The right wing depicts a deacon visiting a bedridden
parishioner, Matt 25:35-40:
“…for I was hungry and you gave Me food;
I was thirsty and you gave Me drink;
I was a stranger and you entertained Me;
naked, and you clothed Me, sick, and you looked after Me;
in prison, and you visited Me…
…And the King will answer, I assure you, insofar as you did
it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to
me.”
The base shows the Lord’s supper, Matt 26:26-39,
Luke 22:14-22:
“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke
it and gave it to the disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is My body.
He also took the cup and, after giving thanks, gave it to them,
saying, All of you drink of it, for this is My blood of the new
covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin. I tell
you, from now on I shall not drink of the product of the vine at
all until that day when I shall drink it new with you in My Father’s
kingdom.”
The stained glass window
The round stained glass window in the choir illustrates John 5:2:
Jesus healing a man by the Bethesda pool. “Jesus told him,
Get up, pick up your mat and walk.
Instantly the man was well; he picked up his mat and walked.”
The window was made in 1956 by Gunnar Torhamn (1894-1965).
The sconces
The copper sconces in the choir were also designed by Gunnar Torhamn,
and illustrate Matt 13:3-8:
“And He told them many things in parables, saying:
A sower went out to sow and, in his sowing, some seeds fell along
the road and the birds came and ate them.
Some fell och rocky soil, where they had little earth and sprang
up quickly because the soil was shallow;
but with the rising sun they were scorched and having no root, withered.
Some fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them.
But the rest fell on the good soil and bore a crop - some a hundredfold,
some sixty and some thirty.”
The organs
The main organ, in the organ loft, was renovated and inaugurated
again in 1961. It was built by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri AB and
has 27 stops.
The small organ in the choir was inaugurated in 1998.
It has four stops and was built by Ålems Orgelverkstad AB.
The Parish House
The parish house was inaugurated in 1993. Its architect, S O Larsson,
was a disciple of the church architect, Hakon Ahlberg.
Mary and child
Outside, to the right of the entrance there is a statue of Mary and
child, cast in concrete by Kajsa Mattas, born in 1948.
Mary holds the child, at the same time offering it to us, hence
her oversized hands.
The child has the proportions of an adult, as is often the
case in Christian art.
“Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, See, this
child is appointed for the falling and rising up of many in Israel
and for a sign that will be opposed - And a sword shall pass through
your own soul - so that the reasonings of many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:34-35.
Unharnessed
The bronze cart-horse “Unharnessed” in the lobby was
made in 1991 by Marylyn Gierow.
The horse has served man in many capacities for thousands of
years. This era is now more or less over. During the twentieth century,
the horse was replaced by other means of transportation. The faithful
draught-animal has disappeared into the wings and other kinds of
horse-power has taken over the stage.
The horse is unharnessed, but what did it do before? What loads
did its cart carry? Gravel? Flour? Beer? Fish? Night-soil? Maybe
the horse was pulling a tram?
The horse is looking to the rear, to the past, a living link between
past and present.
Earth, air, sea, sky
There is a large stained-glass window in the main assembly-room
of the parish house, the Skönstavikssalen. The artist, Nils
G Stenquist, was born in 1934 and made the window in 1992 at the
Ringströms Glasmästeri, Stockholm.
The main theme is a spiral, as in a galaxy or a helix. The middle
part is dominated by the sun, the centre of life, a symbol for Jesus,
who is the light.
The fish in the lower part of the window is also a Christ symbol.
The Greek word for fish is ”Ichthys”, a word formed
by the first letters in Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, Jesus
Christ, God’s Son, our Saviour.
Christ
crucified
A slender bronze sculpture to the left of the entrance to the Skönstavikssalen
depicts Christ crucified, made by Liss Eriksson, born in 1919.
His art is strongly influenced by Gothic church architecture, drawn
out and striving upwards, towards heaven.
The
Sun Way
The textile hanging in the corridor connecting the church and the
parish house is called Solvägen, the Sun way. Its designer,
Barbro Nilsson, is one of the major textile artists in Sweden.
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