Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

Björke Church is one of the 92 medieval churches on the island of Gotland.

The Bjugn church was consecrated in 1956 after the old church burned down in 1952. Much of the furnishings come from the old church: the altarpiece, paintings and baptismal font. The altarpiece is from 1520, probably made in Northern Germany.

Bjørhusdal chapel is a wooden building completed in 1970. The architect of the chapel is Arne Aursand.

The Bjørke church dates from 1696, but the first church built in Bjørke was built as early as the 11th century. Around 1330 a small Stave church was built. In 1660 the Stave church was so dilapidated that it was demolished. Today's church in Bjørke was designed by Oluf and Christopher Vestby and Jens Laage.

Bjørkelangen Church is a long wooden church built in 1923-25 by the builder Olaf Fallet and his three sons. The choir wall is painted by Gunnar Wang with a picture of the Ascension.

Bjørnskinn Church is a wooden church that was inaugurated on 29th April 1885. The architect of the church was Johan Kunig. The present church replaced an old church on the site, which had become too small. It had been built around 1740. Before that, an even older church was located closer to the mountain. It was swept away by a snow avalanche in the 18th century.

The building of Bláa Kirkjan (blue church) that we can see today is fairly recent. The church was moved and destroyed successively by the storm (1894) and the fire (1989).

The most important church of the Gothic period in Transylvania is a result of several alterations of the two preceding churches, the first Romanesque building being destroyed by an earthquake. Apart from the architectural importance of the church this is the place where the first protestant service in German language was held in 1642, this being the starting point for the reformation which was to spread throughout Transylvania. Several earthquakes during the 16th and 17th Century demanded renovation and structural support of the vaults and walls. Also the second originally planned tower at the western facade was not constructed due to the danger of earthquakes. But the heaviest damage of the church happened during the Great Fire of 1689, when it burned down completely, followed by the collapse of the vaults. Since the reconstruction works which lasted until 1772, a composition of baroque and Gothic elements hence shaped the interior of the hall church. Further renovation works, completed 1999, changed the outside appearance by cleaning the sandstone, thus making the name “black church” history. The facades show a rich decor of ornamental and figurative sculpture of sandstone, some of them having been replaced by copies to protect them from air pollution. One can see the originals inside the church. On the interior walls there is a display of 104 oriental carpets that were brought to Transylvania through the broad trade relations of the Saxon merchants to the Middle East. They were given to the parish on the occasion of festivities and since then kept and cared for during the centuries.

Together with a bathroom and the minaret, this compete mosque complex is the only remaining mosque in the town.

Located on Gotse Delchev Square in the northern part of the city, this mosque from the 19th century is now a historical monument.