Church named after St. Helena and St. Appolonia
Church of Medelplana The medieval stone church consisted of a rectangular nave, with the triumphal arch separating it from the chancel. The latter was square and had a straight cross wall to the east. The church had a porch on the south-west side and there was the public entrance. A sacristy was on the north-east side of the church. Next to the sacristy was the Gyllengrip tomb choir. The church had medieval stone vaults, which were whitewashed. In 1763, master builder Johan Gottleb Günther in Skara drew up a plan for the conversion of the church into a chancel. However, the work was not carried out, and it was enough to cut an arch for the tower and put benches in its ground floor. The church had two galleries, the front of which had paintings by Johan Aureller the Younger. The church was too small to accommodate all the churchgoers. It was therefore rebuilt in 1823 and 1824, giving the church its current appearance. It was built by master builder Pehr Eriksson in Bredared to a design by Carl-Gustav Blom-Carlsson, professor of architecture at the Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Stone was taken from the quarry in Västerplana and timber was brought from Kinneskogen. The entire cost to the master builder amounted to 666 riksdaler and 32 skilling. There was no need to make an extra charge. The rebuilding of the church was completed in 1824. The church was immediately put into use, although some work remained to be done. But the consecration was delayed. The painting was done by county painter Johan Petter Hökenstedt in Medelplana. Bishop Sven Lundblad consecrated Medelplana church on September 26, 1830. This took place in connection with the installation of vicar Joh. Sundblad was installed in his position. Of the original church building, the tower building and the remaining medieval west and east walls remain. This can still be seen inside the church, mainly on the western wall. The church was extended to the north and south and oriented to these directions. If the new church had been built to the east, it would have been too close to the highway. Furthermore, it can be mentioned that the medieval ladder gate or cemetery gate at the northern entrance is still there. An old poor box is set up there. In 1902, the church underwent a thorough restoration and then the five-sided sacristy was also built on the north gable. Previously, the ground floor of the tower had been used as a sacristy. Until 1902, there had been a so-called pulpit altar with a pulpit above the altar behind it. A large round window with Christ's monogram was behind the pulpit. Several old parishioners have told me about this arrangement. In 1902 the tower got its highest pointed copper-clad spire, which had previously blown down during a severe storm. The current pews in the church were purchased in 1902. In 1926-1927, the church was restored, and several older furnishings were renovated and put into the church. A thorough restoration took place in 1964-1965. The pews in the chancel were removed with the exception of one pew, which stands at the pulpit side. At the bottom of the church, a bridal chamber was created. Several of the epitaphs and portrait tombstones were rearranged to make the interior uniform, bright and harmonious. Some gifts were donated to the church in connection with the restoration. The sacristy received new cabinets for screws. In 1980, whitewashing and painting were carried out inside the church. New gutters were installed and some defects in the church walls were repaired. The church was then considered to be in good condition and well maintained. In 1997, extensive repairs were carried out on the tower and its roof. The silver treasure In 1611, the Danes ravaged the area and burned Skara, among other places. In Medelplana there was then a vicar called Jonas Andersson Grodt, when he heard about the Danes' ravages, he collected his silver and also probably the church silver, which according to a list before the disappearance would have consisted of two silver chalices and a silver wafer box, and went east from the vicarage in Medelplana, away to a small stream at the vicarage tower Kollängen. There he buried all the silver in order to hide it from the Danes if they came. Grodt died shortly afterwards and was never able to reveal where he had hidden the silver treasure. According to a local legend, it is said that the shadow of the church tower on a particular day and time of year points out the treasure hiding place. It is also said that in the 19th century a couple of shepherd boys saw the treasure in a crevice in the rocks when they were out shepherding, but when they ran home to tell the story and then returned to the spot, they could not find it. Many people have since searched the surrounding area but so far no one is known to have found it. It is also possible that it has been found and perhaps melted down or that the whole story is just made up. The fabled silver treasure still holds its secret, but who knows, maybe sometime in the future it will be revealed.
The Church Guide In the Church Guide app you can read more about the churches and use it as a guide when you are on site, read more and download it here.
Getting here by public transport By train (Kinnekulletåget/Västtågen) With Västtågen (Kinnekulletåget) you can get to this destination by getting off at Trolmen station. From there it is about a 3.4 km walk to Medelplana church. Search in Västtrafik's travel planner either on the web or in the Västtrafik To Go app. For questions or more information, visit www.vasttrafik.se With Närtrafik (local public transport via Västtrafik) Local traffic is ideal for travel in rural areas. It picks you up at an address of your choice within a specific area and takes you to a stop (see all stops here) within the same municipality. Here's how it works:
Call 0771-91 90 90 at least 1 hour before you want to travel (within fixed time slots - see map & times) Costs as a regular single ticket. Pay in the app, in cash or by card. Senior cards are valid (with card inspection), but Västtrafik's season tickets are not valid.
Map & times for local traffic can be found here
