The superstructure designed by AIX Arkitekter border the ruin and tombs and it is 12 meters wide, 19 meters long and 12 meters high. The building is not acclimatized. The existing road from the monastery has an area of compressed earth to facilitate the visit to the hill.
Description of project by AIX Arkitekter
In 2005 the archaeological excavations began on a hill near the monastery church of Varnhem, Sweden. Remains of a 9th century agricultural church were found, testifying that Västergötland was Christianized 100 years earlier than previously believed. The ruins are the remains of the oldest Christian church in Sweden at the moment and probably even the oldest surviving building in Sweden. Kata is the woman who governed the estate and facilitated the construction of the church, which is why this place is called the Kata estate (Kata gård).
To make the ruins of the church accessible to the public, the foundations of the church with its tombs should be protected from weather and wind. Through a single superstructure, the base is protected and a space is created to experience and tell the story of this place.
The building is a large roof that is constructed with laminated wooden beams in the form of an equilateral triangle in its cross section, in the manner of A. The roof beams are placed on horizontal support slabs of glued wood, resting on a series of pillars in the ground. The sloping walls of the building are covered by a wooden roof treated with pine tar. The nave of the old church is open to see the masonry from above. The glass railings allow to see the foundations. Even the tomb of Kata from the mid-tenth century is visible through the glazed floor. An incision in the foundation wall provides access to the stone basement. The floor in the basement is covered with simple wooden panels. A glazed lifting platform is installed between the basement and the superstructure as an accessible alternative to the entrance staircase.
The superstructure bordering the ruin and tombs is 12 meters wide, 19 meters long and 12 meters high. The building is not acclimatized. The existing road from the monastery has an area of compressed earth to facilitate the visit to the hill.
In May 2017, the exhibition hall and weather protection cover was opened on the ruins of the oldest church in Sweden.
