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Past to Present

 

St Mary’s Church is a good example of the ecclesiastical, political, economic and social circumstances of various periods. Here are features of Roman-esque, Gothic, Renais-sance and Baroque architecture.

 

13th Century

The original church was built in the early 13th century as a Roman-Catholic Basilica in the Romanesque style. The church had a higher central aisle and two lower side aisles without any ribbed ceilings in the cross-vaults; a fairly common building style in Scandinavia at that time. The building material was red, handmade bricks and the limestone from Komstad, a dark grey or almost black kind of limestone.

The central aisle extended from the current steps into the nave to the pillar that nowadays holds the pulpit. It had strong square and smooth pillars, on top of which were low round vaults (arcade bows) of Komstad limestone. The aisle was completed by a simple gable, somewhere in the middle of today’s transepts. The ceiling was probably a plain wooden, or maybe an open, construction. The quire, which had a straight end, was placed more or less where the triumphal arch is today.

An altar was placed under the north-eastern vault. Above the altar was an aumbry, i.e. a separate construction where the consecrated host was kept. One square vault of the oldest arch still remains, as does the aumbry and the rounded grey Romanesque vaults.

14th Century

Around the year 1300 the flat wooden ceiling in the central aisle was replaced by pointed cross-vaulting, typical of Gothic architecture. Of these, only the eastern vault with its painted decorations remains today.

In the 19th century a baptistery was built, the Holy Cross Chapel, connecting to the south side of the church. This chapel was furnished with stepped gables dedicated to the death of Jesus on the cross. The triumphal crucifix therefore hung in the Holy Cross Chapel. The sculptures of St Mary and St John stood on each side of the crucifix. The baptismal font was also found here. From the mid-17th century, the Holy Cross Chapel was also known as the Graa burial chapel, since the Mayor of Ystad, Niels Laursen Graa bought a burial place for himself here before he died in the year 1664.

The chapel was demolished in 1840, but a round mark in the south wall of the church adjacent to the nave shows where the chapel was attached to the church.

15-16th Century

During the latter part of the 15th century, the old quire was demolished and replaced by another in the late Gothic style with pointed arches. The side aisles were extended to create a walkway around the quire, a so-called quire aisle. The quire is the same today. Towards the end of the 16th century, a tower with a spire was added at the west end.

17th Century

As a result of a storm on 20th April 1648 the tower collapsed, taking with it the west end of the church itself. A new transept was built in the Renaissance style and also a new west end tower, connected to what was left of the original central aisle. These additions were completed in 1650 and 1688-89 respectively. It is those same transepts and that same tower that we can see today.

18th Century

During the 18th century, alterations to St Mary’s were primarily interior. In the year 1724 the church was given a new organ face and an organ gallery in the Baroque style, the same as we see today. The reredos was erected in the quire.

19th Century

​Carl Georg Brunius, 1792-1869.Forskare inom klassisk grekiska, latin och litteratur, arkitekt och konsthistoriker.Peter Boisen1836-1908. Dansk prästson som blev Ystads förste stadsarkitekt.

A number of major changes took place at St Mary’s in the 19th century. The old graves around the church were moved and a new burial ground was established west of the City Wall - that which we call the Old Cemetery today. All burials around St Mary’s were for-bidden. The former church yard is indicated by the raised pieces of ground, now covered by grass, close to the church wall. Only one grave remains in the grass towards the south. It is marked by a stone in the brickwork of the transept.

In the 1830s, the Lund Cathedral Architect, Professor Carl Georg Brunius, led an extensive renovation of St Mary’s Church. Far-reaching measures robbed the church of much of its ancient character, not least on the outside. A sacristy was arranged behind the high altar.

In 1840 the Holy Cross Chapel was demolished as was the porch on the south side. Buttresses and larger windows were now added to the church. In the 1850s all windows were altered, completely or in part, and some new windows were added.

In 1886 the first Town Architect of Ystad, Peter Boisen, replaced the old floor with its in-laid gravestones with a new floor made of concrete, and he also put in a new floor with cement-mosaics in the quire. The original pews were re-moved and replaced by new ones, inspired by the pews in the church at Marsvinsholm. The ends and the doors of the old pews were saved and placed along the interior of the outside walls. Much of the interior decorations, such as epitaphs, crucifixes and gravestones were removed since they were considered to make the church look ugly.

20th Century

​Sam(uel) Stadener, 1872-1937.Kyrkoherde i Ystad 1909-1924. Senare biskop.Theodor Wåhlin, 1864-1948.Domkyrkoarkitekt i Lund 1902-1948.

In 1923-1925 the church was restored again. Much of what had been removed during the 1886 restoration was put back. Electricity and central heating had been installed in the church. The Rector, Sam Stadener and the Cathedral Architect, Theodor Wåhlin led the restoration work. The original pews, which had been saved, were renovated and comple-mented by new pews, and the pews from 1886 were removed. Open pews were added below the south and the north galleries, the so-called Fishermen’s Pews and the Dragoon Pews.

Parts of the organ face were put back. The figures of St John and St Mary were erected next to the altar and the crucifix in the triumphal arch was put back in its place. The furnishings of the quire were put in. The gravestones and the epitaphs that had been removed when the floor was remade in 1886 were laid back in their original positions. A new gallery was built in the north transept and a new sacristy in the north part of the quire aisle. The floors in the church were refurbished by bricks, apart from the quire steps and the quire, where a floor of dark limestone was laid.

The walls were cleaned and white-washed. The murals were restored and older bricked-up openings in the walls of the central aisle were marked and opened up in full or in parts. A baptistery was created in the north transept.

On the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1925, the Church of St Mary was re-dedicated in its former glory. That restoration still holds good, even today.

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Past to Present

St Mary’s Church is a good example of the ecclesiastical, political, economic and social circumstances of various periods. Here are features of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

13th Century

 

The original church was built in the early 13th century as a Roman-Catholic Basilica in the Romanesque style. The church had a higher central aisle and two lower side aisles without any ribbed ceilings in the cross-vaults; a fairly common building style in Scandinavia at that time. The building material was red, handmade bricks and the limestone from Komstad, a dark grey or almost black kind of limestone.

The central aisle extended from the current steps into the nave to the pillar that nowadays holds the pulpit. It had strong square and smooth pillars, on top of which were low round vaults (arcade bows) of Komstad limestone. The aisle was completed by a simple gable, somewhere in the middle of today’s transepts. The ceiling was probably a plain wooden, or maybe an open, construction. The quire, which had a straight end, was placed more or less where the triumphal arch is today.

An altar was placed under the north-eastern vault. Above the altar was an aumbry, i.e. a separate construction where the consecrated host was kept. One square vault of the oldest arch still remains, as does the aumbry and the rounded grey Romanesque vaults.

14th Century

Around the year 1300 the flat wooden ceiling in the central aisle was replaced by pointed cross-vaulting, typical of Gothic architecture. Of these, only the eastern vault with its painted decorations remains today.

In the 19th century a baptistery was built, the Holy Cross Chapel, connecting to the south side of the church. This chapel was furnished with stepped gables dedicated to the death of Jesus on the cross. The triumphal crucifix therefore hung in the Holy Cross Chapel. The sculptures of St Mary and St John stood on each side of the crucifix. The baptismal font was also found here. From the mid-17th century, the Holy Cross Chapel was also known as the Graa burial chapel, since the Mayor of Ystad, Niels Laursen Graa bought a burial place for himself here before he died in the year 1664.

The chapel was demolished in 1840, but a round mark in the south wall of the church adjacent to the nave shows where the chapel was attached to the church.

15-16th Century

 

During the latter part of the 15th century, the old quire was demolished and replaced by another in the late Gothic style with pointed arches. The side aisles were extended to create a walkway around the quire, a so-called quire aisle. The quire is the same today. Towards the end of the 16th century, a tower with a spire was added at the west end.

17th Century

As a result of a storm on 20th April 1648 the tower collapsed, taking with it the west end of the church itself. A new transept was built in the Renaissance style and also a new west end tower, connected to what was left of the original central aisle. These additions were completed in 1650 and 1688-89 respectively. It is those same transepts and that same tower that we can see today.

18th Century

During the 18th century, alterations to St Mary’s were primarily interior. In the year 1724 the church was given a new organ face and an organ gallery in the Baroque style, the same as we see today. The reredos was erected in the quire.

19th Century

A number of major changes took place at St Mary’s in the 19th century. The old graves around the church were moved and a new burial ground was established west of the City Wall - that which we call the Old Cemetery today. All burials around St Mary’s were for-bidden. The former church yard is indicated by the raised pieces of ground, now covered by grass, close to the church wall. Only one grave remains in the grass towards the south. It is marked by a stone in the brickwork of the transept.

In the 1830s, the Lund Cathedral Architect, Professor Carl Georg Brunius, led an extensive renovation of St Mary’s Church. Far-reaching measures robbed the church of much of its ancient character, not least on the outside. A sacristy was arranged behind the high altar.

In 1840 the Holy Cross Chapel was demolished as was the porch on the south side. Buttresses and larger windows were now added to the church. In the 1850s all windows were altered, completely or in part, and some new windows were added.

In 1886 the first Town Architect of Ystad, Peter Boisen, replaced the old floor with its in-laid gravestones with a new floor made of concrete, and he also put in a new floor with cement-mosaics in the quire. The original pews were re-moved and replaced by new ones, inspired by the pews in the church at Marsvinsholm. The ends and the doors of the old pews were saved and placed along the interior of the outside walls. Much of the interior decorations, such as epitaphs, crucifixes and gravestones were removed since they were considered to make the church look ugly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

20th Century



In 1923-1925 the church was restored again. Much of what had been removed during the 1886 restoration was put back. Electricity and central heating had been installed in the church. The Rector, Sam Stadener and the Cathedral Architect, Theodor Wåhlin led the restoration work. The original pews, which had been saved, were renovated and comple-mented by new pews, and the pews from 1886 were removed. Open pews were added below the south and the north galleries, the so-called Fishermen’s Pews and the Dragoon Pews.

Parts of the organ face were put back. The figures of St John and St Mary were erected next to the altar and the crucifix in the triumphal arch was put back in its place. The furnishings of the quire were put in. The gravestones and the epitaphs that had been removed when the floor was remade in 1886 were laid back in their original positions. A new gallery was built in the north transept and a new sacristy in the north part of the quire aisle. The floors in the church were refurbished by bricks, apart from the quire steps and the quire, where a floor of dark limestone was laid.

The walls were cleaned and white-washed. The murals were restored and older bricked-up openings in the walls of the central aisle were marked and opened up in full or in parts. A baptistery was created in the north transept.

 

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