Lojsta church, Gotland

Lojsta church, about 45 km S of Visby has squared chancel with three narrow gothic windows with stained glass in the east wall and south door-way, a wider vaulted nave which continues in the west by a belfry with gallery. In the eastern wall of the belfry, seen from the attic of the nave, two older rather long pieces of timber are partly visible. One side has a wide groove, which tells that the pieces have been part of an older building. Samples have not been taken from these pieces.

Sample no 1 from a strut or a rafter in the belfry has waney edge and is dated 1306. In 1981 in connection with repair or maintenance work that sample was sent to me, so the location of the timber is not known. Sample no 3, taken in the western wall at the bells, lacks waney edge, is weathered but has the curvature of the trunk. Its outermost annual ring is dated 1299.

In the nave there are remains from an older truss, re-used as short braces in the present truss. Sample no 9 is taken from an underlying plank 55 cm of length and partly has the curvature of the trunk. Its outermost annual ring is dated 1255. The collecting of samples from the church is not finished.