Bjärka-Säby Château

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Nya slottet Bjärka-Säby
Front facade of the main building
Map
General information
Architectural styleBaroque
CountrySweden
Coordinates58°16′14″N 15°44′20″E / 58.2706°N 15.7390°E / 58.2706; 15.7390
Construction started1791
Completed1898
View from South.

Bjärka-Säby Château (Nya slottet Bjärka-Säby) is a baroque style château located 2 miles southeast of Linköping, 4 kilometers north of Bestorp in Östergötland County, Sweden. In Bjärka-Säby there are actually two châteaus, simply referred to as the old and the new château of Bjärka-Säby. The older building dates from 1632. The new one is owned by the local congregation of the Pentecostal Church Out of the château's common life, meetings and retreats an ecumenical community has been born,[1] though not a monastery as stated in some articles.[2] This community, Ekumeniska Kommuniteten i Bjärka-Säby (EKiBS), is a community with its members living scattered around Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries but having its main gatherings and heart at the château of Bjärka-Säby.

History[edit]

Group portrait of the château's servants in 1909.
The barn, probably in 1909.

Bjärka-Säby Château was built for Swedish diplomat and nobleman, Germund Louis Cederhielm (sv). The building was based upon plans from a prominent Swedish landscape architect, Fredrik Magnus Piper. Construction started in 1791 and was completed just before 1800. The surrounding landscape was designed in the manner of a traditional English park. The building was subject to renovation in 1894–1898, based upon plans of architect Agi Lindegren (1858–1927). His work differ from Piper's design and resulted in a Baroque appearance.

Proposals for a restoration of the interior were advanced principally by Sigurd Curman (sv), secretary of the Swedish National Heritage Board. Between 1920 and 1921, Erik Fant (sv), architect at the Nordic Museum, conducted renovations reflecting the manor's origin in the late 1700s. The exterior has been allowed to retain the appearance resulting from the Agi Lindgren-based conversion.

Since 1980, the château has been owned by Sionförsamlingen i Linköping, the Swedish Pentecostal movement's church in Linköping. From 1996 on there are people from different denominations living a common life at the castle, praying, working and studying according to a simple rule. Out of this common life of prayer together with the visitors at retreats and seminars given at the château a need for something "more" arose and this gave birth to the independent Ecumenical Community of Bjärka-Säby with its members scattered throughout Scandinavia though regularly returning to the castle.[3]

Inside the château hangs portraits of Hedvig Ekman, Gustaf Aulén, Nathan Söderblom, and icons of Bridget of Sweden as well as traditional icons from the Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox tradition and icons painted by members of the community. The château also has a patristic library, as well as a side chapel that was built in the 18th century as a result of the devotion of the Pietist Lutheran Hedvig Ekman.[4]

Peter Halldorf was the spiritual leader (preces) of the Ecumenical Community of Bjärka-Säby is from the start. New preces from 2017 is Jonas Eveborn.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Not So Secular Sweden by Matthew Milliner". First Things. Institute on Religion and Public Life. June 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Rules of the community apply both to celibate and married people" (translated from the community's website)
  3. ^ "Website of Ekumeiska Kommuniteten i Bjärka-Säby (swedish)". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  4. ^ "Not So Secular Sweden by Matthew Milliner". First Things. Institute on Religion and Public Life. June 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014. Then past a well-stocked patristic library, down another enormous flight of stairs, and through a foyer. I take one last look through the window at the rolling lawn lit by a full moon. Staring down at me is the portrait of a Pietist Lutheran, Hedvig Ekman, who married into this family in the late eighteenth century. Behind her head the artist painted a faint hint of gold threatening to become a halo, indicating that through her, holiness entered the household. Because of Hedvig's devotion, a beautiful chapel was appended to the castle.
  • This article is fully or partially based on material from Nordisk familjebok, Germund Louis Cederhielm and August (Agi) Lindegren.
  • Edman, Victor (1999) En svensk restaureringstradition, (Stockholm: Byggförlaget) ISBN 91-7988-186-6
  • Karling, Sten; Lindegren, Karin (1981) Fredrik Magnus Piper och den romantiska parken (Stockholm: Royal Swedish Academy of Arts) ISBN 91-86208-00-4
  • Åman, Anders Sigurd Curman: riksantikvarie - ett porträt (Stockholm: Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, Bokförlaget Atlantis, 2008) ISBN 978-91-7353-220-4

External links[edit]

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