Hjorter’s, the abandoned chapel
Location
The carpenter Jöns Hjorter found salvation at a prayer meeting in his 30s and decided to form his own christian salvation movement. In the 1860s the chapel stood ready, built under his leadership and architecturally adhering to his strict rules of simplicity.
“They walked their way forward, in quite and still fashion, and were very modest in every aspect of their lives. They followed the order of grace.“
The Hjorterian´s were inclement and old-fashioned. In order not to be tempted to talk about worldly things before the mass, the congregation walked in single file to the chapel, one by one, in strict silence, all dressed in black. They read from Charles XII’s Bible from 1703 and sang from the Wallin’s hymn book from 1819, despite the fact that later editions had replaced the verses. “If you want a pure Word of the Lord, you must seek it from the editions of the past,” the congregation reasoned.
Jöns Hjorter died in 1874 and after his death no one succeeded him and the congregation ceased after some time. Today the chapel is used sparingly, once a year.
Background
– You must visited Hjorter’s chapel, a friend said to me when I visited him in the southern part of Gotland.
His vivid description of the abandoned and remarkably well-preserved chapel made me curious and amazed.
– Can I go there now, even though it’s already late, I thought? I called the bell ringer in Burs and an hour later I unlocked the door to the chapel and went in.
The shoot
Already at my first steps into Hjorter’s chapel, I was struck by the seriousness of the rooms and their unpretentious beauty. Where everyday things took on a heightened meaning, as if they wanted to tell a story to whoever carefully entered the room.
The light strangely touched the scuffed benches, the scent of worn hymn books neatly placed on their bookshelves. I sat down on a stool respectfully and looked around. My gaze went to the dull metal numbers of the hymn number board, which purpose had long since lost its meaning.
Suddenly I feel a longing for something unknown that I have lost, what is it that I see and do not see in the room that makes me feel this way? Is it the room’s dignity of something unknown that makes me ponder?
On the worn floor I see a play of light with sun and shadows. Could it be a picture?
Gotlands Museum, Visby, Sweden
June 28 – August 17, 2025
Photographer: Bruno Ehrs
