Nordic round churches

Nordic round churches are a type of round church found in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

According to the usual interpretation, Nordic round churches were designed with defence in mind. Aside from their religious role, they also served as power symbols, storehouses and a safe place for community members to place their valuables during regional conflicts. Since stone buildings were still unusual in Scandinavia in the 12th century and there was not much experience of defending and attacking them, people in crisis areas often decided to build a single structure which combined the functions of a castle and a church, rather than two separate buildings. Even ordinary long churches were built such that the door could be barred from inside by very strong beams, which were inserted into deep holes on both sides of the door. Round churches also often had facilities which enabled the doors to be defended from above. In general, the round shape enabled defence, since it gave the defenders a better view of their surroundings and offered no blind spots for attackers to take advantage of.

Research connects round churches with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Church of Vårdsberg, for instance, contains a series of niches whose arrangement clearly parallels the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This connection has a long history in Europe. Well-known structures which show similar influence from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre include the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, and the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne in Aachen. In addition to this, earlier round buildings in Europe, such as the Pantheon in Rome, were converted into church buildings. Archaeological investigations suggest the conclusion that a number of round churches were originally non-Christian sacred buildings converted into churches. Additionally, the round churches show strong German and West Slavic influence. German influence is most apparent in the round churches of Bornholm, while the Swedish churchs show more signs of West Slavic influence. Signs of this influence as far afield as the Round church of Ophir () on Orkney indicate an extraordinary cultural exchange at that time even over great distances.

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